Published 19:50 IST, February 12th 2024

Joe Biden Slammed After His Campaign Joins China Owned 'TikTok': 'Lol Hey Guys'

Biden shared video with a caption "lol hey guys" as he answered the rapid-fire questions about the Super Bowl.

Reported by: Digital Desk
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US President Joe Biden and TikTok. | Image: AP
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US President Joe Biden on Monday attracted backlash after his campaign joined the China linked social media platform TikTok. In an effort to woo the younger voters, Biden shared his first video on the TikTok, that was flagged as a national security threat in the US, sending firestorm among his critics.

Biden shared video with a caption "lol hey guys" as he answered the rapid-fire questions about the Super Bowl. According to Statista, an estimated 149 million people below the age of 40 use Tiktok in the US. But the company owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has been under the radar of the US government over surveillance and espionage concerns.

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The platform has been banned from the US government-owned phones and devices over security concerns. Biden, however, joined the app and by Monday morning his video garnered over 3.9 million views.

"In a media ecosystem that is more fragmented and personalized than ever, it's even more important to get our message across every channel and every platform possible," Biden campaign advisers told Amerian broadaster Axios. The Biden campaign is "incorporating a sophisticated security protocol to ensure security" while on the app, they reportedly said. Biden, last year, warned the Chinese owned platform that he would ban it in the US if the parent company ByteDance, didn't sell its stake in the US.

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The White mandated the government to remove the app from US government official’s devices and the systems. The Biden-Harris HQ, operated by the Biden campaign, featuring on the app triggered widespread criticism.

South Dakota's governor Kristi Noem, a Republican, posted on X : "Hey@joebiden, you've done a lot of dumb things over the last 3 years. Handing your data over to China may be the dumbest. Biden is joining TikTok—and partnering with China to spy on the American people.” Biden campaign account has already garnered more than 33,000 people. The US president joining the Chinese based app has left the internet divided. "How ironic, he bans tiktok for govt but desperate to get votes so allows it for his benefit.""Oh boy, I can already hear Trump rapping 'China, China, China and crucked [crooked] Joe,'" another X account said.
 

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19:50 IST, February 12th 2024