The company 'weaponised' its US users in a lobbying effort against a bill before Congress, sources say.
US congressional offices have told the BBC they are being deluged with calls from TikTok users about legislation that could see the popular app banned.
The bill, introduced by a bipartisan group of 20 lawmakers, would mandate that ByteDance sell TikTok within six months, or TikTok would be removed from mobile app stores in the US. TikTok confirmed to the BBC it had sent a notification urging TikTokers to "call your representative now" to urge them to vote against the measure. Users said that the app gave them a direct link for calling the representatives for their districts.
When contacted about those allegations by the BBC, TikTok provided the statement: "With regards to users being locked out of the app until they called, that is false. All users had two methods for dismissing the notifications." "I am deeply troubled by reports of young people calling Congress, threatening to commit suicide or otherwise harm themselves," Mr Torres said in a statement to the BBC.Media caption,Staffers to other lawmakers on both sides of the aisle also reported hundreds of calls to their offices, from app users young and old, who do not have a clear idea of either who or why they are calling.
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