TikTok creator argues Americans need to 'fight' to keep the social media app
Freddie Smith joins 'America Reports' to discuss Congress' bill forcing the sale of TikTok or face a ban and his concerns with the legislation.
Seven TikTok creators blasted President Biden for signing a bill this week that would force the sale of the social media platform unless its Chinese owners sold it to a U.S. company.
These users, who told Fox News Digital that losing TikTok would hamper their careers, cut their income, and disband much of their online community, took particular issue with the fact that the Biden presidential campaign declared it would continue to use TikTok to bolster its voter base ahead of the November election.
Many of them accused Biden of being hypocritical.
GOP LAWMAKERS PRESS TIKTOK CEO ON 'DELUGE OF PRO-HAMAS CONTENT' ON PLATFORM
Several TikTok users traveled to Washington D.C. this week to protest a potential ban of social media app TikTok (Tony Schaffer/@MiddleRoadSanity)
Biden signed a Senate-passed bill on Wednesday which included a provision to force TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, which is based in China, to sell the app or be banned in the United States, as lawmakers accuse the platform of being a risk to U.S. national security, collecting user data, and spreading propaganda.
The new measure gives ByteDance nine months to sell TikTok, as well as a possible three-month extension if a sale is in progress.
The TikTok legislation was part of a set of bills providing $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Despite signing the bill, the Biden campaign confirmed to Fox News Digital that it "will stay on TikTok."
Prominent TikTok users blasted the Biden administration’s decision to potentially ban the app, particularly because of Biden campaign's insistence on still using it. Several of them, like content creator Tiffany Cianci, appeared at a rally outside the U.S. Capitol building on Tuesday to protest the bill. Here are their reactions:
'It's shameful…'
Cianci, who has 140,000 followers on the platform, spoke to Fox days after the rally, stating, "I firmly and fundamentally believe that in passing this bill in the way that congress chose to pass it, they have alienated more than 7 million small business owners, and 170 million everyday Americans, and particularly the young voters, and soon to be voters of America, in ways that won’t be fully realized until after November and possibly into the elections to come."
Cianci, who organized Tuesday's rally with other creators at the Capitol, added, "I don’t see any circumstance where I could believe that the true motivations in passing this bill was protecting American citizens," and she also called out Biden’s hypocrisy on this issue.
"And what every TikTokker in America is thinking right now, is that if TikTok were truly dangerous, our politicians, especially President Biden and TikTok super-user Jeff Jackson, would not be utilizing it for their own benefit in trying to reach young voters after passing this bill," she said, adding, "It’s shameful and there is no question it’s going to cost them come November."
‘ …an embarrassment to our country’
Hannah Williams, the small business owner and TikTok creator behind "Salary Transparent Street" – a million dollar company that got its start on TikTok – trashed Biden for signing the legislation.
She told Fox, "The decision to ban TikTok is incredibly disappointing, frustrating, and concerning for many reasons. My channel, Salary Transparent Street, has over 1M followers on TikTok and generates thousands of dollars each year. Still, I'm less concerned about losing that community and source of income than I am about the dangerous precedent that this ban will place on Americans' First Amendment right to speak freely, express ourselves, and access information."
"The ban and the representatives from both parties that supported it are an embarrassment to our country," she declared.
‘…will affect my livelihood 100%’
"Queen Astraea," a TikTok creator and cosplayer with a huge following, told Fox News Digital that a potential TikTok ban "will affect my livelihood 100%"
She explained, "A large chunk of my income stems from TikTok, and the community of 2.1M people who follow and love my work lose not only access to me but several other content creators who rely on us for mental health support, social interaction, and community."
"The ripple effect would mean I lose out on sponsorships, brand deals, financial stability, community, friends, and my videography that I’ve dedicated endless hours towards perfecting," the creator added, before ripping into Biden for signing the bill.
"I believe if the President is truly fearful of the TikTok app then maybe he needs to make like his hair line and take a few steps back and show he means what he says instead of pandering to young people who clearly do not trust his words."
HOUSE PASSES BILL THAT COULD SEE TIKTOK BANNED IN US
The House of Representatives passed legislation in February requiring TikTok to divest itself of CCP control or face a ban in the U.S. (Fox News Digital)
‘…tilts the marketplace in favor of huge corporations…’
Ian Carroll, the creator behind "cancelthisclothingco" – an account boasting 1.5 million followers – told Fox, "I’ve spent the last year highlighting how corporations have monopolized the shelf space in physical stores and TikTok has allowed small businesses to not only reach their audiences- but sell directly to them. It also has leveled the playing field for journalists like myself to expose corporate greed and promote small businesses."
"A TikTok ban fundamentally tilts the marketplace in favor of huge corporations and against small and family-owned businesses," he declared.
‘…devastating for my small business…’
"Sparksofjoyco" account owner Callie Goodwin, who traveled from South Carolina to D.C. to meet with lawmakers about the TikTok bill, told Fox that a ban would be "devastating" for her.
The creator, who boasts more than 100,000 followers on the app, declared, "A ban on TikTok would be devastating for my small business - which was born on TikTok and is thriving because of TikTok. 98% of our sales can be directly attributed to people finding us on TikTok - so losing that would result in a financial loss that would force us to close."
'…clearly an overblown attempt…'
Tony Schaffer, the creator behind "MiddleRoadSanity," slammed the potential ban, stating, "The TikTok ban is clearly an overblown attempt to build public dissent against the platform for the sake of U.S.-based platforms. If our elected officials can utilize it for campaigning, it’s safe enough for US citizens."
'It's blatantly hypocritical'
And "WickedWitch_ofthe_West," account owner Taralyn Romero, who traveled from Colorado to attend Tuesday’s rally, grilled Biden for signing the bill and staying on the app. "It's blatantly hypocritical. To be quite frank, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Biden doesn’t even know he has a TikTok account. He barely has a following and the majority of engagement on his videos is negative with people calling out the hypocrisy. It’s not doing him any favors."
Hammering the TikTok provision passed along with the rest of the bill, she added, "This has nothing to do with protecting American citizens or national security. This is propagated fearmongering to trick the American people into cheering for the rollback of our constitutional rights so that those in support can control the market, control competition, control small business commerce, control how we come together and how we communicate."
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Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman contributed to this report.