Campaign Security & Strategy: Biden TikTok Presence Amid Data Concerns
The Biden 2024 reelection campaign has ventured onto TikTok, despite previous concerns about national security issues associated with the platform and its subsequent ban on federal devices.
Biden himself and other members of his administration are not expected to join the platform. Instead, the campaign team will manage the account independently, aiming to engage with voters in an increasingly diverse American population particularly, as younger demographics shift away from traditional platforms. The first post featured the president answering questions about the Super Bowl, with a nod to a recent political conspiracy theory involving Taylor Swift.
Biden nets 67,000 TikTok followers in first day https://t.co/VOBS4loEGM
— POLITICO (@politico) February 13, 2024
Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have issued warnings about TikTok’s owner, ByteDance. The possibility of sharing user data with the authoritarian Chinese government raises concerns about privacy and security.
In 2022, Biden implemented a ban on TikTok for nearly 4 million federal government employees, except for specific exemptions, such as law enforcement and national security purposes. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has been scrutinizing the app for years.
President Biden has been criticized by some for not having a presence on TikTok.
— Yashar Ali (@yashar) February 12, 2024
Well, moments ago, the official rapid response department for the Biden Harris campaign just posted their first TikTok. pic.twitter.com/kv4YAEsOrK
Campaign officials have assured that they are implementing advanced security measures but have not provided specific details. It remains unclear whether these measures are aimed at protecting campaign data or voter privacy.
China’s 2017 law requires companies to hand over personal data relevant to national security, raising further concerns about TikTok’s data practices.
11% of all younger voters in the most recent @NBCNews poll say they use TikTok at least once a day – and they disproportionately identify as being Democrats over Republicans. https://t.co/FXpWEeKaYm
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 12, 2024
The Biden campaign plans to regularly share content on TikTok and maintain its presence on Threads, Instagram, Facebook, X, and Truth Social.
The campaign prioritizes social media engagement and smaller events featuring the president to reach target voters who may not rely on traditional media. Efforts to collaborate with social media influencers are also underway to amplify the president’s message.
