In an effort to prevent a potential ban in the United States, TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have spent over $7 million this year on lobbying efforts. ByteDance has allocated a record $2.68 million to in-house lobbyists, while TikTok has invested over $4.5 million in a television and digital ad campaign opposing legislation targeting the app. These expenditures are aimed at educating policymakers about the legislation’s potential impact on TikTok’s 170 million American users, according to a TikTok spokesperson. The disclosures indicate that TikTok officials lobbied Congress and President Joe Biden’s executive office last quarter, including the National Security Council, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The House has passed legislation that would require ByteDance to divest TikTok within nine months, and the Senate is expected to vote on a similar bill on Tuesday. This recent spending on in-house lobbying does not include payments made to external consultants. Veteran lobbyist David Urban was paid $80,000 last quarter by ByteDance to influence Congress on their March bill targeting the technology company. This marks the highest payment ByteDance has made to Urban’s firm, LGL Advisors, in a given quarter, according to federal lobbying data. Since January 1, TikTok has spent over $400,000 on outside lobbying firms in Washington. In 2023, ByteDance and TikTok spent over $8 million on lobbying, the highest amount spent on lobbying in the first quarter since 2023.
TikTok, ByteDance Spend Millions Lobbying Against US Ban
