• by Colin Kirkland , April 1, 2024

A new TV ad spot shows TikTok taking new steps to oppose a bill that if passed would force ByteDance, the app's China-based owner, to sell to a company in the U.S. due to potential concerns over data privacy and national security.

TikTok's ad campaign, which cost $2.1 million, uses testimonials by a diverse range of supposed TikTok influencers and sellers to highlight the damage that could be done to Americans who rely on TikTok to make a living were banned in the U.S.

“There is no doubt that I would have found the success I have today without TikTok,” one subject says in the ad, followed by another man who asks viewers to “Think about the 5 million small business owners that rely on TikTok to provide for their families.”

“To see all of that disappear would be so sad,” says another apparent user. “We need to make enough noise about this so they don't take away our voice.”

The campaign will be aired on TV in the U.S. but will appear more in key election battleground states including Nevada, Montana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio, according to data from AdImpact

“All five states are represented by vulnerable Senate Democrats, each of whom is running for another six-year term,” reports CNBC, alluding to TikTok's overall strategy ofputting more pressure on these senators to oppose the TikTok bill to satisfy younger voters -- most of whom are against the ban -- and small business owners.

TikTok's ad campaign, however, doesn't take into consideration the bill's main priority, which is to force a sale of the app to a U.S. owner, not ban the app entirely.

Because of ByteDance's ties to the Chinese government, the American government is aiming to eradicate the possibility of China having access to Americans' user data and using the app as a tool for propaganda over U.S. voters.

Only if the bill passes through the Senate and ByteDance then fails to sell the app to a U.S. owner will TikTok no longer be available to download in the country via Apple's App store or the Google Play store.

The TikTok ads, which will also air in New York, Massachusetts and Minnesota, will begin running this Wednesday and end either on April 14 or April 28, depending on which state the ads are airing, according to the ad buy data.