TikTok turns to creators to fight possible ban

Facing a possible ban in the United States, TikTok has made efforts to deploy perhaps its most powerful weapon: its creators.

The wildly popular video service began recruiting dozens of creators late last week and asking them to travel to Washington to challenge a bill being debated in Congress. Under the proposal, TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance would have to sell the app or it would be blocked in the United States.

Many of its creators have met with lawmakers and posted videos about their opposition to the bill using the hashtag #KeepTikTok, often with the irreverent humor the app is known for.

“So old white boomers we call Congressmen are trying to ban TikTok, and I’m not having it,” said Giovanna González, a TikTok creator better known as @TheFirstGenMentor, posted in a video on Tuesday, with the U.S. Capitol visible in the distance behind her.

So far the efforts have not yielded results. The House passed the bill on Wednesday with broad bipartisan support. But it could be an uphill battle in the Senate, where TikTok creators have already set their sights.

Unlike traditional lobbyists, creators were not paid to support TikTok. However, the company provided their transportation, accommodations and meals, including a celebratory dinner at the Bazaar of José Andrés, a restaurant in the Waldorf Astoria hotel.

The creators said they spoke for themselves and posted personal and often emotional videos about what the app meant to them. The arrangement was similar last year when TikTok brought creators to Washington to defend the app, as TikTok CEO Shou Chew testified before Congress.

President Biden and lawmakers have increasingly raised concerns that Chinese ownership of TikTok poses serious national security risks to the United States, including the potential for election meddling. The bill, which is backed by Mr Biden, aims to force ByteDance to sell TikTok to non-Chinese owners within six months. The president could sign the deal if it resolves national security concerns. Otherwise the app would be banned.

TikTok has repeatedly said that Beijing officials have no control over the app’s operation, nor does the Chinese government have access to U.S. user data, which is stored in the United States. The company said after the vote that it was “hopeful that the Senate would consider the facts, listen to their constituents and realize the impact on the economy” and TikTok’s 170 million U.S. users.

Several creators said they told lawmakers and their aides how the app had impacted their lives and promoted their businesses as they pushed for “no” votes. Many have posted videos with Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, who opposed the bill. One creator, a child safety advocate named Dani Morin, said she met with Senator Laphonza Butler and Representative Pete Aguilar, both California Democrats.

Paul Tran, who runs a skincare brand called Love & Pebble with his wife Lynda Truong, said he wasn’t even aware of the bill when TikTok approached him about the trip last week. “I said, ‘I’m definitely going there,’” he said, adding that 90 percent of his company’s revenue comes from the app. “Most people still think TikTok is just a fun app, but there are real businesses being made here.”

TikTok helped coordinate television appearances — Mr. Tran said he joined “Good Morning America” this week — and protests outside the Capitol and White House, where its creators held up signs with messages like “TikTok has my life changed for the better’.

The creators appeared at a press conference with lawmakers opposed to the bill, such as Representative Maxwell Frost, Democrat of Florida. An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union also spoke with the creators at their hotel about potential constitutional issues with the bill, the organization said.

“We are proud that so many creators and community members are willing to take time away from their families, work and businesses at such short notice to advocate against a rushed bill that would undermine the constitutional rights of free speech would trample on Americans.” Alex Haurek, a spokesperson for TikTok, said in a statement. He said more than 100 creators and members of the TikTok community have joined the effort.

Last week, TikTok sent a pop-up message to many of its users, urging them to call their lawmakers. Several congressional offices said they were inundated with calls that day.

Many creators flew to Washington on Monday and planned to leave on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, many creators posted videos expressing disappointment with the vote in the House of Representatives, but also optimism about the bill’s chances in the Senate.

“Please don’t lose hope, please don’t get too upset – there are a lot of things we can do before this app is gone,” an activist and feminist posting under @FamousBlonde told her followers. Her caption included a note to Rep. Jeff Jackson, Democrat of North Carolina, to “step on rocks.”

Mr. Jackson is the most popular Congressman on TikTok with 2.5 million followers. He voted for the bill, This resulted in more than 18,000 responses on one of his videos on Wednesday.

Tiffany Yu, a 35-year-old disability advocate in Los Angeles who was among the creators in Washington this week, said that when she posted videos about the bill, she realized that many users were still in the dark about the bill. machinations in Congress.

“One of the comments was, I had no idea this was happening,” she said. “There is still a gap between what happens on the Hill and the people we can reach.”