Lawmakers are receiving so many threats related to a potential TikTok ban in the United States that Capitol Police are now investigating. According to a report in The Washington Post, a stark rise in the number of “threats and concerning messages” have been noted by lawmakers and their offices. The exact number of calls was not disclosed, however one Senate aide told the outlet their office has received at least a dozen threatening messages since TikTok pleaded with users to contact their local lawmaker about the legislation. According to the report, Capitol Police are in communication with at least one family and school of an underage person linked to one of the threats. Last week the House passed a bill that would see the social media platform “prohibited” in the United States if its parent company, ByteDance, fails to sell its U.S.-based subsidiary to a stateside company within six months. The bill now goes to the Senate, and if passed, onto the desk of Joe Biden, who has already indicated he will sign the legislation into law. An unidentified House aide also told The Washington Post that multiple people have called threatening self-harm. “Threats like this are unacceptable and we condemn this in the strongest possible terms,” TikTok spokesman Alex Haurek said in response. “Clearly, there are millions of Americans who want to and have the right to speak out against the ban bill that would trample Americans’ constitutional rights of free expression, but we must all do so in a respectful, civil manner.” According to Axios, senators who attended a classified briefing on the matter Wednesday said Americans would be shocked and frightened at how their personal data could be used.
