Human rights groups back TikTok bill as lobbying battle heats up

Several human rights groups are throwing support behind legislation that would force China-based ByteDance to divest TikTok or otherwise face a ban on the app in the U.S., as a high-stakes battle over the bill heats up in Washington.

The groups, which are focused on abuses by the Chinese government, include the Campaign for Uyghurs, Uyghur Human Rights Project, Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, Human Rights in China, International Campaign for Tibet, Hong Kong Democracy Council, the Uyghur American Association, and Washingtonians for Hong Kong.

“We strongly urge the passage of this bill into law to further Congress’s efforts to support Uyghur human rights. Without it, Uyghurs will continue to be targeted by foreign adversary owned applications like TikTok,” Rushan Abbas, a Uyghur American activist who founded Campaign for Uyghurs, wrote in a letter shared with Semafor that was sent to members of Congress supporting the bill this week. Another letter to lawmakers from Human Rights in China describes TikTok under its current ownership structure as a “serious national security threat.”

The legislation offered by Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis. and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., who lead the House select committee on China, would force ByteDance to divest TikTok within 180 days or face a ban that would prevent app stores from carrying the popular video platform. The proposal is meant to address national security concerns officials say are associated with the app’s Chinese ownership.

TikTok forcefully criticized the bill as an “outright ban” that would “trample the First Amendment rights” of its 170 million American users. On Thursday, aides from multiple congressional offices said they were getting flooded with calls pushing back on the legislation, as TikTok prompted users to call members of Congress to oppose the legislation.

The bill has some powerful supporters already, though, including the Biden administration. House Speaker Mike Johnson offered support for the legislation on Thursday, raising the likelihood of its passage in the House of Representatives. The path in the Senate is less certain.

• Politico talked to Congressional offices who are hearing from TikTok users directed to their offices through the app. ”Our phones have not stopped ringing. They’re teenagers and old people saying they spend their whole day on the app and we can’t take it away,” one House GOP staffer said.

Kadia Goba contributed reporting.