The 2024 presidential campaign of President Joe Biden has joined TikTok, despite his previous concerns about the platform’s national security risks and its ban on federal devices.

According to aides, Biden and his administration are not anticipated to personally participate on the platform. The account will be managed solely by the campaign team in an attempt to engage with voters in a diverse American society, especially as younger voters shift towards non-traditional platforms. The first post showcased the president answering questions about the Super Bowl and also mentioned a current political conspiracy involving singer Taylor Swift.

The FBI and FCC have cautioned that ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, may potentially share user information, including browsing data, location, and biometric data, with the Chinese government. In 2022, President Biden prohibited the use of TikTok on devices owned by federal agencies for nearly 4 million employees, with some exceptions for law enforcement, national security, and security research. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known for its secrecy and influence, has been evaluating the app for several years.

The campaign team stated that they were implementing extra safety measures and following security protocols to ensure the well-being of individuals, but they did not specify what these measures were for or if they were meant to safeguard campaign information or voters.

In 2017, China passed a policy mandating that businesses must provide the government with any personal information that may pertain to national security. While there is no proof that TikTok has complied with this requirement, concerns have arisen due to the large amount of user data it collects, similar to other social media platforms.

The Biden campaign announced that the BidenHQ account will consistently share content on the platform.

Biden’s team is active on several social media platforms, including Meta’s Threads, Instagram, Facebook, and X. They were previously on Twitter but have since moved to Truth Social, a platform supported by leading Republican candidate Donald Trump.

The president’s team is focusing on increasing their presence on social media and hosting smaller events with the president in order to connect with potential voters who may not follow traditional sources. Additionally, they have increased efforts to collaborate with social media influencers to spread the president’s message.

Source: wral.com