While more aggressive than most, TikTok’s extensive lobbying campaign is the latest attempt by the tech industry to head off any new legislation — and it's a fight the industry usually wins.

The young voices in the messages left for North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis were laughing, but the words were ominous.

“OK, listen, if you ban TikTok I will find you and shoot you,” one said, giggling and talking over other young voices in the background. “I’ll shoot you and find you and cut you into pieces.” Another threatened to kill Tillis, and then take their own life.

Tillis’s office says it has received around 1,000 calls about TikTok since the House passed legislation this month that would ban the popular app if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake. TikTok has been urging its users — many of whom are young — to call their representatives, even providing an easy link to the phone numbers. “The government will take away the community that you and millions of other Americans love,” read one pop-up message from the company when users opened the app.

Cool zoomers to US congress and senate members : were-gonna-kill-you

  • FemboyStalin [she/her,any]
    ·
    8 months ago

    This is why a lot of pro trans stuff is getting shot down too. There was just a safe-haven bill that got killed in Maine due to death threats. The fact that they won't listen to anything but death threats is bleak af.

    • Zymi [she/her]
      ·
      8 months ago

      I wonder if there is a lesson here...

      For legal reasons this is a joke.

      • Awoo [she/her]
        ·
        8 months ago

        Here in the UK politicians are very concerned with "online bullying" of politicians.

        What they actually mean is the threats that they receive.

        There is a very real attempt being made to increase powers against it which suggests to me that they find it an effective political tool and they don't like that.