Local creators weigh in on the proposed ban: “I think they just feel like they can’t control the information that we get, and it’s corrupting the youth.”
In October 2020, Rod Thill decided to try parlaying his small social media following into a much larger audience.
He could showcase his “relatable millennial humor,” he thought, by learning the algorithm of one of the most popular social media platforms in the world — TikTok.
It didn’t take long for his videos on the short-form video app to take off. Now the West Loop-based creator boasts 1.6 million followers on the platform.
But after years of national security concerns around TikTok, Thill could lose the app he now calls his “most comfortable.”
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to ban TikTok in the United States over assertions the app’s Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, could obtain users’ data and use it to influence Americans. China’s national security laws dictate that if requested, companies must turn over customer data.
TikTok says it employs security measures to protect user information and warns the potential ban “sets a dangerous precedent for the concept of free expression and open markets.”
Although the bipartisan ban passed in the House, it still needs to be approved by the U.S. Senate. If that happens, ByteDance will have six months to find a non-Chinese buyer, or it will no longer be accessible through regular channels in the United States.
