TikTok Parent Spends Record on Lobbying as U.S. Pressure Rises

  • Video app popular with teens spent $500,000 in second quarter
  • China ownership stokes fear that American data goes to Beijing
Why TikTok Is Target of So Much U.S. Scrutiny
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The Chinese owner of the popular TikTok video app spent a company record on federal lobbying in the second quarter as it fought allegations that it’s funneling Americans’ data to Beijing, according to lobbying disclosures filed with U.S. Congress.

Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd. spent $500,000 in the three months ended June 30, up from its previous record of $300,000 in the first quarter, according to the company’s lobbying disclosure Monday.