TikTok creators weren’t surprised to hear that President Joe Biden signed into law a bill that could lead to a TikTok ban, but they’re close to unanimous in their belief that the federal government is wrong to push the legislation forward.
For almost four years, since July 2020, a potential TikTok ban has been under consideration by members of the federal government. A bipartisan bill to ban TikTok in the U.S. was first proposed in December 2022, and the version that was just signed into law has been in the works since before March. It’s not an immediate ban — it includes a nine-month deadline for the company to sell to a U.S.-approved owner or face a ban — and TikTok CEO Shou Chew says the company will fight the decision in court.
On the app, chatter around the bill has been going strong for months, with creators and users incensed that Congress is focusing on TikTok over other issues that are popular with the app’s user base, which skews young.
A video from three days ago from popular New York creator Dutch de Carvalho, which has close to 8 million views and 2 million likes, reviews a list of things Carvalho says Americans don’t have: affordable housing, student loan forgiveness, a higher minimum wage and free Covid-19 tests among them.
“Can we at least watch videos on an app of people doing fun things and learn about the world around us?” the video’s creator says. “No. But don’t forget, we’re listening to you,” he says from the perspective of the government.
Three TikTok creators with large followings shared their feelings with NBC News about the legislation and how the user base will continue to react to it.
“I don’t think TikTok is going away,” Marcus DiPaola said. DiPaola covers news on TikTok to an audience of almost 4 million followers. He said that in court, the U.S. will have to show evidence for its primary concern underlying the bill: that TikTok could be sharing American user data with the Chinese government, or that…
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