After growing a TikTok following, House Democrat leads push against a ban

While galore lawmakers are pushing for a prohibition oregon sweeping changes to the fashionable video-sharing app TikTok, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., has embraced the app, gaining astir 160,000 followers and 2 cardinal likes posting astir his thoughts and the workings of Congress.

On Wednesday, Bowman volition big a property league with much than 30 TikTok creators whose platforms are threatened by the U.S. government's propulsion toward greater restrictions connected the app. The lawsuit stands successful stark opposition to the heavy skepticism TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is definite to acquisition from galore of Bowman's colleagues erstwhile helium testifies Thursday earlier the House Energy and Commerce Committee astir however the institution protects U.S. users from surveillance and different harms.

Fears astir however U.S. idiosyncratic information could beryllium accessed by the Chinese authorities via TikTok's Chinese genitor institution ByteDance person inspired bans of assorted degrees crossed the country, including a federal prohibition of the app connected government-owed devices.

TikTok past week said the Committee connected Foreign Investment successful the U.S. (CFIUS), threatened a broader ban of the app if ByteDance wouldn't merchantability its stake. The interagency radical is reviewing imaginable nationalist information risks stemming from ByteDance's 2017 acquisition of TikTok precursor Musical.ly. TikTok, successful turn, has offered a sweeping program to marque its processes much transparent and removed from the genitor institution successful an effort to quell the concerns.

But Bowman believes fears implicit imaginable risks associated with the app person been disproportionate to the disposable grounds astir its vulnerabilities.

"Now, if I get much accusation based connected the DOJ probe oregon thing similar that, I volition basal up and accidental I was incorrect and spell the different way," Bowman said, seeming to notation to the recently reported Justice Department investigation into allegations that erstwhile ByteDance employees spied connected journalists. "But close present what I'm proceeding is simply a batch of fearfulness mongering and speculation and not arsenic overmuch existent evidence."

That's led TikTok to beryllium unfairly singled out, some arsenic a societal media institution and a concern with a Chinese owner, according to Bowman. The U.S. has galore longstanding concern ties with China, helium said, and determination are plentifulness of different China-based apps connected American phones arsenic well.

Bowman supports caller regulations for the tech manufacture but believes they should use to each the large platforms to support consumers.

"TikTok oregon not, we haven't done capable successful presumption of making definite societal media is safe, not addictive, doesn't propulsion misinformation and tin beryllium utilized successful the safest imaginable ways," Bowman said.

Wednesday's property league volition item creators with much than 60 cardinal corporate followers who volition stock the app's interaction connected their lives. TikTok has leaned into the strategy of highlighting users successful its entreaty to lawmakers. On Tuesday, Chew appeared successful a video connected TikTok's authoritative relationship pointing to the company's 150 cardinal monthly progressive users successful the U.S. and asking those users to stock successful the comments what they emotion astir the app.

While TikTok helped bring the creators to Washington, Bowman's bureau has been moving chiefly with the creators to signifier the event, according to Emma Simon, Bowman's integer manager and property secretary. Bowman's bureau had already planned to conscionable with the creators. Simon said she learned the TikTokers hoped to stitchery a property league and worked with them to marque it happen.

Bowman's experiences connected TikTok person informed his reasoning astir the app, wherever helium said he's encountered noticeably little misinformation and hatred than connected different platforms. He said banning the app would efficaciously thrust immoderate creators backmost to platforms wherever they whitethorn brushwood much negativity oregon astatine slightest a antithetic ambiance than the 1 that exists connected TikTok.

He's recovered that TikTok has helped him scope caller constituents helium hadn't engaged earlier with different connection methods, peculiarly younger constituents.

Unlike Bowman, galore of the lawmakers who volition beryllium questioning Chew connected Thursday bash not person a TikTok relationship (or astatine slightest 1 that is public-facing). That deficiency of familiarity with the app whitethorn beryllium portion of what's driven lawmakers toward a ban, Bowman said.

"When you don't recognize something, you're often acrophobic of it. And erstwhile you're acrophobic of it and you don't recognize it, you look to get escaped of it," Bowman said. "I deliberation that is what galore members of Congress are looking to bash now."

Bowman became much personally engaged successful TikTok astatine Simon's urging. Simon, 23, is successful TikTok's halfway demographic and said she pushed Bowman to prosecute much straight with the app to scope constituents, shifting it from an avenue his bureau antecedently utilized conscionable to repost media hits.

"It each started to change" erstwhile she got him to vlog the days-long Speaker of the House predetermination earlier this year, Simon said. The videos helped Bowman rapidly turn his pursuing and marked a caller code for the congressman connected the platform.

Simon's transportation to her brag was to amusement him conscionable however galore young users are connected TikTok, particularly implicit different platforms. She said helium loves engaging with young radical and is passionate astir education. Fears of Chinese power weren't truly portion of the discussion.

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