Timeline of events for the TikTok ban and Biden's partnerships with influencers. - **First One Hundred Days**: [Confidential talks between Biden Administration and TikTok begin](https://web.archive.org/web/20230303144111/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/technology/tiktok-bytedance-data-security.html#:~:text=For%20two%20years,administration%20in%20August), lasting roughly two years. - **June 9, 2021**: [Biden reverses Trump's pending ban](https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-rescindsing-trump-bans-tiktok-wechat-2021-6) on Tiktok and WeChat with executive order. - **August 1, 2021**: [White House recruits influencers](https://archive.ph/Xv3WQ) to combat COVID-19 disinformation, and increase vaccination rates in the US. Campaign is a success. - **March 11, 2022**: [White House briefs influencers](https://archive.ph/2022.12.06-165727/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/11/tik-tok-ukraine-white-house/) on Ukraine via Zoomcall. Starts working with [[On Gen-Z For Change]] (formerly TikTok For Biden). - **August 2022**: [TikTok corporate submits 90-page report](https://web.archive.org/web/20230303133307/https://www.nytimes.com/article/tiktok-ban.html) detailing its approach for operating in the US called Operation Texas. Tiktok begins implementing the project right away. - **Mid-to-Late 2022**: ["Secretive negotiations"](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/tiktok-ban-us-congress.html) between the Federal Government and TikTok Corporate begin to break down. White House goes silent, according to TikTok months later. - **October 2022**: [TikTok has already implemented](https://web.archive.org/web/20230303144111/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/technology/tiktok-bytedance-data-security.html#:~:text=Under%20the%20proposal,place%20since%20October) some of its 1.5 billion dollar plan to ease lawmakers worries about potential national security risks. Later, TikTok officials [are quoted saying](https://archive.ph/2023.01.16-165513/https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/tiktok-tries-to-win-allies-in-the-u-s-with-more-transparency-11673836560#:~:text=%E2%80%9Cwe%20are%20not%20waiting%20for%20an%20agreement%20to%20be%20in%20place%2C%E2%80%9D%20she%20said.%20%E2%80%9Cwe%E2%80%99ve%20made%20substantial%20progress%20on%20implementing%20that%20solution%20over%20the%20past%20year%20and%20look%20forward%20to%20completing%20that%20work%20to%20put%20these%20concerns%20to%20rest.%E2%80%9D) that they "were not waiting for an agreement (With Biden's administration) to be in place," before starting on Project Texas. - **October, 25 2022**: [8 TikTok influencers](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/10/27/tiktok-democrats-influencers-biden/) go on a two-day trip to the White House. Daniel Daks, founder of Palette Management, organizes the meeting. The DNC paid Palette [a $200,000 retainer](https://theintercept.com/2024/04/23/tiktok-ban-influencers-biden-campaign/) to cover trip expenses. - **January 26 2023**: [NYT reports that TikTok is going on the offensive](https://web.archive.org/web/20230303144111/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/technology/tiktok-bytedance-data-security.html) after month of silence from the White House. The company met with think tanks and then started lobbying lawmakers to back down. - **January 28, 2023**: [Reports of a Chinese balloon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Chinese_balloon_incident) spotted flying above US soil. - **February 4, 2023**: [Air Force shoots down "Chinese balloon"](https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3288543/f-22-safely-shoots-down-chinese-spy-balloon-off-south-carolina-coast/#:~:text=An%20F%2D22%20Raptor%20fighter,No%20one%20was%20hurt.), and FBI reports it contained "intelligence-gathering equipment but does not appear to have sent information back to China." - **February 6, 2023**: [Matt Gaetz tells Biden](https://www.businessinsider.com/matt-gaetz-joe-biden-blow-up-tiktok-chinese-spy-balloon-2023-2) to "blow up TikTok" like Chinese spy balloon. - **February 6, 2023**: White House starts vocalizing concerns about TikTok. When asked about a potential ban, [Biden says](https://www.reuters.com/technology/biden-says-he-is-not-sure-whether-us-would-ban-tiktok-2023-02-06/), "I'm not sure. I know I don't have it on my phone." - **February 28, 2023**: [White House gives all federal agencies thirty days](https://www.newsweek.com/tiktok-ban-explained-biden-administration-deadline-national-security-1784471) to remove TikTok from government devices. - **March 7, 2023**: US Senate introduces [The Restrict Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RESTRICT_Act) AKA the TikTok ban bill. [White House signals support](https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/08/tech/biden-tiktok-bill/index.html). - **August 2023**: [White House hires Morgan MacNaughton away from Palette Management](https://theintercept.com/2024/04/23/tiktok-ban-influencers-biden-campaign/) as its Deputy Director of Partnerships. - **November 30, 2023**: [Judge Blocks Montana's TikTok ban](https://www.npr.org/2023/11/30/1205735647/montana-tiktok-ban-blocked-state) before it takes effect. - **March 6, 2024**: [White House briefs 70 influencers](https://www.wired.com/story/biden-white-house-state-of-the-union-address-influencers/) before State of The Union Address. - **March 7, 2024**: State of Union Address. Influencers attend watch party. - **March 8, 2024**: [Biden says he'll sign TikTok ban bill](https://apnews.com/article/biden-tiktok-ban-house-china-aaa884d8c974f0a35856af5ee6aa4e99) if Congress passes it. - **March 13, 2024**: [US House passes TikTok Ban bill](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68556540). - **April 23, 2024**: [Senate passes TikTok ban bill](https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-congress-bill-1c48466df82f3684bd6eb21e61ebcb8d). - **April 24, 2024**: [Biden signs TikTok ban bill](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/congress-biden-bill-ban-tiktok-when-2024-election-rcna148792). - **May 10-12, 2024**: [Biden Super PACs host social media influencers](https://archive.ph/2024.06.22-131550/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/14/us/politics/joe-biden-donald-trump-2024-campaign-tiktok.html) on a three day "Trending-Up" event in DC. White House emails select group with an invite during an event dinner. (Dates based on IG posts). - **May 30, 2024**: [Reuters reports](https://www.reuters.com/technology/tiktok-preparing-us-copy-apps-core-algorithm-sources-say-2024-05-30/) that TikTok is "preparing a US copy of the app’s core algorithm." TikTok flat out denies the claim, but Reuters stands by its reporting and sources.