TikTok and its Chinese parent company spent a record $2.37 million on lobbying this spring, the most the Chinese social media app ever reported spending in a single quarter.
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ByteDance, the Beijing-based company that owns TikTok and has links to the government in China, spent $2.26 million on lobbying from April to June, and TikTok itself reported spending another $110,000 that quarter through hiring the Crossroad Strategies advocacy firm, which it has used since late 2020. The huge increase in spending comes as Republicans push the Biden administration to crack down on TikTok over national security concerns
The only other time frame that came close to the 2022 second-quarter figures was the $2.07 million ByteDance and TikTok spent between April and June 2021. ByteDance spent $1.1 million in the first quarter of this year, with another $110,000 from TikTok.
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This year, ByteDance reported also funneling tens of thousands of dollars this year to LGL Advisors in Florida, the Washington lobbying firm Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas, and the K&L Gates LLP global law firm for lobbying purposes. TikTok’s parent company in the past few years had also hired the multinational law firm Covington & Burling LLP, the Monument Advocacy lobbying firm, and the American Continental Group consulting firm.
ByteDance and TikTok spent a combined $550,000 on lobbying in 2019, $3.92 million in 2020, $6.54 million in 2021, and $3.58 million so far this year — putting 2022 on track to be the highest level of lobbying spending yet by the Chinese company.
ByteDance reported spending $930,000 itself from January to March, with specific lobbying issues including the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, the America Competes Act, and the National Defense Authorization Act — all of which contained provisions aimed at helping the United States compete against China. ByteDance also lobbied against the self-explanatory No TikTok on Department of Homeland Security Devices Act. Notably, USICA also includes the No TikTok on Government Devices Act.
The Senate, the House, the Executive Office of the President, and the Commerce, State, and Defense departments were all targets of the lobbying.
ByteDance then spent $2.14 million over the next three months, lobbying on those proposed laws yet again while targeting Congress, the White House, and federal agencies.
The Chinese parent company paid LGL Advisors $50,000 in the first quarter, Mehlman $80,000 in the first quarter to lobby the House and the Senate on USICA, and K&L $40,000 in the first quarter to lobby Congress on USICA and the NDAA. Mehlman and K&L received the same amounts last quarter to continue lobbying on those issues.
TikTok itself spent $110,000 in the first quarter and the same amount again in the second quarter of this year to lobby on “issues related to internet technology and learning-enabled content platforms.” The company targeted the Senate, House, and the White House. TikTok thrived during the first year of President Joe Biden’s presidency following unsuccessful efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on the app.
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The app was dubbed the most popular website in the world last year, with over 100 million users in the U.S., despite concerns about data privacy and Chinese links.
Biden officials emphasize a national security review of the app is underway. The National Security Council said a separate review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States “is ongoing.” The Trump administration labeled TikTok a national security threat due to concerns it could be exploited by the Chinese Communist Party to obtain U.S. user data illicitly.
ByteDance and TikTok have repeatedly claimed they have not and will not turn over user data to the Chinese government, but national security experts have raised concerns about China’s national intelligence law, which requires all Chinese companies to assist Chinese intelligence services when asked. The Pentagon, other government agencies, and a host of organizations and agencies have banned employees from using the app.
