TikTok Ban: Influencers Scramble To Lobby Congress Against Banning Platform

By Rick Martin First Posted: Mar 12, 2024 08:16 PM EDT

While politicians on both sides of the aisle are about to vote on whether to force TikTok parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform or face a US ban, influencers are scrambling to Washington to try to prevent the possible TikTok ban.

These online influencers make money from the platform. Should it be banned from the US entirely, as lawmakers from both sides have been threatening, they might be losing their way of life. This comes as the US government seeks to pressure the Chinese-owned platform to make a very consequential decision over its future: selling TikTok or the platform should not be allowed in the United States entirely.

Security concerns have arisen after whistleblowers revealed that the parent company in Beijing has access to the private data of users, including ones in the US. As a Chinese company, ByteDance is required to submit its data to the Chinese government, including data from other countries. This makes TikTok a security threat as it allows the Chinese government access to information about US citizens.

TikTok is trying to counter the legislation and it is getting some of its most well-known influencers to help. The company even had several of these top influencers go to Washington in an effort to get lawmakers not to ban the platform, according to the Associated Press.

"If they ban it, I don't know what it will do," said popular TikTok influencer Summer Lucille, who has over 1.4 million followers on the platform. "It will be devastating."

Dozens of these influencers descended on Washington, DC, to make their case. The influencers, with the help of TikTok, will make their case during a 2-day public event. The company is also helping these influencers ahead of meetings with their respective lawmakers and also doing some media interviews.

TikTok Influencers Fear Careers Will Be Destroyed, Work 'Deleted Forever'

It is very clear that the mood for some TikTok influencers in the US, many of whom have millions of followers, is quite dreary, as many of them face losing careers they have cultivated for quite some time.

Many of these influencers argued that should Chinese parent company ByteDance choose not to sell and face the ban, it would infringe on their freedom of speech and hurt the creator economy.

One of the influencers trying to push back against the ban is Shira, a content creator who operates under the name shirashiraonthewall. She spoke with Business Insider and said, "TikTok has cultivated a huge community of people who discuss politics and current affairs without it being altered by propaganda," adding, "A lot of us just want to know the truth. The whole TikTok ban is clearly a tactic to control the narrative."

Several Prospective Buyers Have Voiced Interest in Buying TikTok Should Bipartisan Bill Pass

While forcing the Chinese company, ByteDance, to sell TikTok or else have the platform banned entirely, would be easier said than done, there are already several people and companies wanting to buy the video-sharing platform.

As the Associated Press noted, one of them is "Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary, as well as some big tech companies. However, should big tech companies buy TikTok, the move would likely face intense scrutiny from antitrust regulators not just in the US, but also China. There would be First Amendment challenges in the forced sale as well.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Why TikTok's parent company could face divestment or U.S. ban of the platform - PBS NewsHour