Why It Matters

TikTok Inc. retained Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP to lobby on trade and export control policies during the second quarter of 2026, according to a disclosure filed Sept. 25.

TikTok faces overlapping U.S. and Chinese legal and regulatory pressures related to trade, technology, and control of its recommendation algorithm. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act requires TikTok to undergo a qualified divestiture to avoid restrictions in the United States and limits operational relationships between the resulting entity and a former foreign-adversary-controlled entity, including cooperation in operating a content-recommendation algorithm.

Trade policy also affects TikTok's e-commerce business. The duty-free de minimis treatment for covered low-value imports from China and Hong Kong ended on May 2, raising the trade-policy stakes for online marketplaces that facilitate the sale of Chinese goods to U.S. consumers.

By the Numbers

The Akin Gump filing covers the second quarter and reports $110,000 in compensation. TikTok's lobbying expenses across all firms over the past four quarters totaled $1,885,000.

The Akin Gump engagement is one of five second-quarter filings TikTok has on record, alongside reports from Crossroads Strategies LLC, AND Partners LLC, and Dentons US LLP, as well as a termination filing from Ballard Partners LLC, which ended its engagement that quarter. Akin Gump's registration was new this quarter, coinciding with Ballard Partners' exit.

The sole lobbyist listed on the filing is Joe Fawkner, a senior policy adviser at Akin Gump. Fawkner has previously lobbied on China policy for the U.S.-China Business Council and on trade and tariff issues for clients including Kimberly-Clark Corp. and Gap Inc.

The Agenda

The Akin Gump disclosure lists "issues related to trade and export control policies." No legislation is cited in the filing. Other TikTok filings from the same quarter reference implementation of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, with Crossroads Strategies' second-quarter report listing it as a specific issue.

TikTok has also faced longstanding congressional pressure over its ties to China. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the SAFETY on Social Media Act in 2023, which sought to blacklist social media services controlled by foreign adversaries and require internet service providers to block access to covered platforms. Cotton said TikTok "captures vast amounts of private information on users."

Competitive Landscape

Crossroads Strategies reported $80,000, Dentons US LLP reported $75,000, and AND Partners LLC reported $60,000 in the second quarter, each focusing on internet technology and content-platform regulation, while Akin Gump's filing covers trade and export-control policies.

The Bottom Line

The Akin Gump filing covers trade and export-control policies, a focus not reflected in TikTok's other active firm disclosures, which center on internet technology and content-platform regulation. The engagement comes as TikTok faces federal restrictions tied to its Chinese ownership alongside trade policies affecting goods imported from China.

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