New York, 17 May 2024, (GNP,): Republican Mike Gallagher and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi strongly support the notion of banning the TikTok app. Two US legislators, who collaborated on a contentious bill to ban TikTok in the country, were reported to have received substantial campaign donations from the pro-Israel lobby, as per official documents.
Mike Gallagher, a Republican who recently stepped down from Congress, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, have strongly supported the notion of banning the popular video-sharing platform owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance.
According to data compiled by Open Secrets from the Federal Election Commission records, Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi obtained $198,000 in campaign funding from pro-Israel organizations for the 2023-2024 election period.
In recent weeks, concerns have been raised by US lawmakers, including prominent figures like US Secretary Antony Blinken, about the overwhelming presence of Palestinian voices on TikTok and the increasing opposition to the Israeli conflict on American college campuses.
“We have heard many senators and many lobbyists in the US who have expressed clearly that they also see TikTok to be a reason why students are suddenly protesting in great numbers for Palestine and against genocide,” says Jalal Abukhater, advocacy manager at 7amleh.
“They consider TikTok to be a biased place that is amplifying more pro-Palestine viewpoints than pro-Israel.”
Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi collaborated on the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which President Joe Biden swiftly signed into law in late April.
This legislation mandates that ByteDance either shut down TikTok in the US or sell it to American investors within a year. With over 170 million American users, many of whom are critical of the decision to ban the app, even members of Biden’s campaign team use it to engage young voters.
ByteDance and TikTok have contested the law in a US court, with support from content creators who argue that the ban infringes upon their constitutional rights.
Krishnamoorthi, in response to ByteDance’s lawsuit against the US government, asserted that the company is under the control of the Chinese Communist Party and highlighted the broad backing his bill received from American lawmakers.
“Instead of continuing its deceptive tactics, it’s time for ByteDance to start the divestment process,” he said.
“They consider TikTok to be a biased place that is amplifying more pro-Palestine viewpoints than pro-Israel.”
Taking a closer look at the company, Krishnamoorthi’s characterization isn’t entirely accurate. According to Bloomberg, Beijing doesn’t exert complete control over ByteDance, as external investors like Carlyle and General Atlantic possess 60 percent of its shares.
Krishnamoorthi, an American of Indian heritage, is known for his hawkish stance on China. He serves as the ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the US and the Chinese Communist Party.
Currently in his fourth term representing Illinois, Krishnamoorthi has received support from the US-based branch of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a far-right Hindu nationalist organization in India.
Having made frequent trips to India, Krishnamoorthi has met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose government banned TikTok in 2020 following a border clash with Chinese forces.
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The significant contributions from pro-Israel groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, totaling over $2.2 billion to numerous lawmakers’ campaigns, have drawn attention to Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi amid the connection between the TikTok ban and the public outcry over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
While former President Donald Trump’s administration attempted to ban TikTok in 2020, a federal judge halted the move.
China and the US, as the two largest economies, are engaged in a geopolitical and economic struggle. The US has restricted the export of crucial semiconductor technology to Chinese companies to impede their progress in AI and other key tech sectors.
TikTok’s immense popularity stems partly from its For You Page, driven by a robust proprietary AI algorithm that captivates users.
Concerns in Washington revolve around the potential for Beijing to gather data on American TikTok users.
“Similar claims have been made about companies in the US. There have been issues with WhatsApp and Google. Online platforms have done data harvesting, and Meta is not innocent either,” says Abukhater.
