ByteDance, TikTok spent over $7 million on lobbying, ad campaign

TikTok and its China-based parent company ByteDance combined to spend over $7 million so far this year to try and stop Congress from passing legislation that could ban the social media app in the United States. ByteDance alone spent a record $2.68 million on in-house TikTok lobbyists to target Congress and federal officials over the first three months of the year, according to new lobbying disclosure reports. TikTok spent over $4.5 million this year on a television and digital ad campaign pushing back on legislation that could ban the app, according to data from AdImpact. “This expenditure reflects work we…