(Daily360.com) – The Chinese social media application TikTok has been running several campaigns to fight American lawmakers who are trying to ban it. One of their methods of digital combat is a campaign they call “TikTok Sparks Good”, featuring various content creators and small-business owners who use the platform. One such person is a neurosurgeon from Ohio named Dr. Brian Hoeflinger and that choice is now being scrutinized.
Hoeflinger settled a malpractice suit that was filed against him and his partners in 2022. The suit was filed after a 60-year-old patient died in 2018. The patient’s wife sued Hoeflinger and other doctors for what she viewed as negligence and a departure from accepted medical care after his operation. Hoeflinger has continued to deny the allegations but his co-defendants settled the suit nonetheless. When asked to comment on the matter neither Hoeflinger nor TikTok offered any statement.
The “TikTok Sparks Good” campaign debuted during the Republican presidential debates in 2023 because the candidates floated the idea of banning the app. TikTok has also been asking users to input their zip codes into the app in order to receive contact information for their congressperson. After that, TikTok asks users to contact their representative and ask them not to support the app ban.
The bill passed the House on March 13th and if made law, would mandate that ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, divest its controlling interest in the app to an American entity or else face a ban in the United States.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has deep ties to the app and its information-gathering. CCP officials are supporting TikTok’s management for saying they will not divest and will fight to keep the app fully Chinese run. One CCP run news website praised TikTok for fighting hard against American lawmakers, writing that “TikTok doesn’t just stay still and wait for death.” The bill will now make its way to the Senate where experts predict it may face serious opposition. Joe Biden has stated that should the bill make it to his desk he will sign it into law.
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