The United States passed a bipartisan bill on Wednesday forcing TikTok owner ByteDance to divest from the social media platform or face a total ban in the country.the bill passed 352 to 65 It would need to be considered by the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden to become law. But we couldn’t help but notice something interesting in the final House vote totals. At least three members of Congress who voted for the “ban” still have very active accounts on TikTok.
Who voted for this bill while maintaining a TikTok account that posted a new video in the past week?
Rep. Jackson is a prolific TikToker Posted new video Just yesterday talking about the bill and defending his vote. According to Jackson, he believes ByteDance will only sell the company, which is something he supports, and TikTok will not be banned in the long run.
“Why tell them they have to sell? On top of that, there are serious concerns that the Chinese government could influence what you see on the For You page,” Jackson said.
Gizmodo reached out to three members of Congress for comment but did not immediately respond Wednesday afternoon.
There are at least three other accounts of members of Congress who voted for the ban but have not posted for a long time.
Rep. Takano signed up for TikTok in 2019 and has not posted new videos since 2020, while Reps. Houlahan and Wilson appear to have stopped posting in late 2022. The United States banned TikTok from all government-owned phones in December 2022, which could explain their choice.
represent. benny thompson, The Democrat from Mississippi voted for the ban on Wednesday and has an account but has never posted videos. As you can see, every politician on the list is a Democrat, which is perhaps a symptom of the party’s desire to appeal to younger people, although that doesn’t necessarily explain how you can vote while keeping your account Ban the platform.
TikTok has about 170 million users of all ages in the United States, but it has long been considered a place to interact with young Americans. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew highlighted the social media platform’s distorted perception as a “teen dance app” in congressional testimony last summer, stating general user In fact, he is “an adult who has graduated from college.”
The political ideologies of those who voted for or against the bill ran the gamut, with some Republicans claiming they voted against the bill based on free speech. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky who does not have a TikTok account, likened a potential ban to something that would only happen in authoritarian countries.
“TikTok is banned in China. So, do we want to follow the Chinese Communist Party and ban it in our country?” Paul asked in the interview Tuesday.
Democrats opposed to the bill, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, said earlier Wednesday she would vote against the bill because it was “rushed” to come out of committee in just four days, while Raising concerns about privacy and privacy rights. The question is whether TikTok is really the national security threat that many claim it is.
“There are serious antitrust and privacy concerns here, and any national security concerns should be made clear to the public before a vote,” Ocasio-Cortez said. write on X.
However, the bill once again received bipartisan support in the House, with Republicans and Democrats working together to get the bill across the finish line, despite Last minute reversal From Republican leader Donald Trump.
Given the incredible speed of this legislation, it’s not surprising that some members of Congress who voted for the TikTok ban have accounts. But Rep. jacksonRep. allredand Rep. Cast Might get some criticism in their hometown for their fake appearance.
Or maybe not. After all, TikTok is hugely popular in the United States, and the idea that hypocrisy could harm a political campaign is now an outdated concept, having died out around 2015 or 2016. Trump is now opposing the ban in an executive order he signed. Just a few years ago. The cognitive dissonance required to face such a reversal while still believing he is a principled man may be just the secret to his return to the White House.
