A group of content creators on the Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok descended on the US Capitol on Wednesday (March 22) to protest against the calls for a ban on the app. According to a report by the news agency AFP early Thursday, the group of around a dozen teenagers, teachers and business owners rallied at Congress to discuss their opposition to the potential ban (on TikTok) and also draw attention to the benefits of the app on their livelihoods.
An aspiring soapmaking entrepreneur who goes by the username @countrylather2020 on TikTok said that she kind of built her business on the app, and the potential ban somewhat posed problems. “Are there other platforms out there? Absolutely — I’m on them. But none of them have the reach that TikTok has,” she said.
Another creator on TikTok Jason Linton, who uses the platform to share videos of his three adopted children and has interacted with people worldwide, opposed the ban. “I am asking our politicians – don’t take away the community that we’ve all built – a community that lasts, that loves,” Linton said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Apart from content creators, three Democratic Party lawmakers are also protesting against the ban. Lawmaker Mark Pocan said that a “xenophobic witch hunt” was motivating some in Congress to seek a ban, a report by the news agency Reuters said. “Banning TikTok isn’t the answer. Making sure Americans’ data is safe is,” Pocan added.
Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat leader, said on the Senate floor on Wednesday that TikTok was a threat that needed to be addressed but it was not the only surveillance threat to young people.
American government officials and lawmakers have said that ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, can pass users’ data to the Chinese government and are calling for the platform to be removed from app stores unless it is sold to a US firm.
Later on Thursday, TikTok’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shou Zi Chew will testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee and face questions from lawmakers who want to ban the app. On Tuesday, Chew said that TikTok had over 150 million active monthly US users, representing almost half of the country’s population and up from the 100 million US users it had back in 2020.
“Some politicians have started talking about banning TikTok. Now, this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you,” he said in a video posted on the app.
(With inputs from agencies)
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