Small-business owners, community advocates and educators spoke out Wednesday after the House overwhelmingly approved a measure to ban the popular app.
Updated: 1 hour agoDevotees of TikTok gather at the Capitol in Washington, as the House passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app if its China-based owner doesn't sell, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Lawmakers contend the app's owner, ByteDance, is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok's consumers in the U.S.
Dozens of TikTok supporters gathered outside the Capitol on Wednesday to oppose the measure, which passed the House with overwhelming support but faces an uncertain fate in the Senate. Among them was Gigi Gonzalez, a financial educator from Chicago who said a TikTok ban would destroy her financially.
Since rebranding in 2018 under the name TikTok, the app has risen to become one of the most popular social media platforms, with 170 million monthly users in the United States alone. Hundreds of thousands of content creators make a living on the app, which has skyrocketed artists and influencers such as Lil Nas X, Doja Cat and Charli D’Amelio to overnight fame.
“Both sides of the aisle know that TikTok is a crucial tool that many - particularly young people - use for education, advocacy and organizing,” said Annie Wu Henry, a digital strategist and content creator. “It’s incredibly clear, too, that many of these politicians don’t fully understand what the app is that they are trying to ban or even why they are trying to ban it.”
Rep. Robert Garcia , who voted against the measure, told a rally of opponents on Tuesday that “any ban on TikTok is not just banning the freedom of expression - you’re literally causing huge harm to our national economy.” Tiffany Yu, 35, a disability activist in Los Angeles, said banning the app would be especially harmful to disabled people, many of whom have found it to be a lifeline during the isolation of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which is still keeping public spaces off limits to vulnerable people.
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