TikTok and ByteDance spent $7 million on advertising in an attempt to avoid blocking in the US

TikTok and the Chinese company ByteDance have spent $7 million this year to try to stop the US government from banning the social network in the country. This was reported by CNBC.

ByteDance spent a record $2.68 million on in-house lobbyists in the first three months of this year to target Congress and federal officials. TikTok, according to AdImpact, spent more than $4.5 million on a TV and digital advertising campaign against the ban.

TikTok explained that this spending reflects the work the platform is doing to “educate policymakers” about the impact of the legislation on the community of 170 million Americans who use the platform.

In addition to spending on its own lobbying, ByteDance also made other payments to outside consultants. The company paid experienced lobbyist David Urban $80,000 to try to influence Congress on the March bill.

The day before, US President Joe Biden signed a law that will ban TikTok in the US if the Chinese company ByteDance does not sell the social network within a year.

The document was part of the US foreign aid package, including for Ukraine. It was supported by the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The previous bill, which also aimed to ban TikTok, was supported in the House of Representatives, but stalled in the Senate.