HOUSE MEASURE HAS TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK
Many in Hampton Roads are all in on the app, but bill could ban it
Servers at PBR Norfolk, a kitschy cowboy bar, show off their dance moves.
A real estate agent admires the wood flooring inside a two-story colonial home in Newport News.
The Sweet Spot, a dessert shop in Virginia Beach, tempts viewers with waffles and overflowing milkshakes. Meanwhile, an influencer called Stormy Blue urges 53,000 followers to try the lobster tail at Canvas Social Cuisine in Hampton, or the deep-fried French toast at Liam’s Deaner Brunch Bistro in Suffolk.
“It was crunchy on the outside but then you get that fluffiness of the French toast in the middle — be sure to check this place out,” she said.
All can be found in a scroll through TikTok, a global social media platform for creating and sharing short videos. While some use it for fun, others rely on TikTok to promote their charities or businesses — but the future of the app is now uncertain.
The U.S. House passed a bill this month in a 352-65 vote that would enact a nationwide ban on TikTok if ByteDance — its Beijing-based parent company — doesn’t sell its stake. Legislators concerned with TikTok say it’s a threat to national security because the Chinese Communist Party can demand access to its consumer data, and more than 170 million Americans use the platform. Others have shared doubts about the national security threats and argued the bill would violate the First Amendment.
The issue doesn’t fall clearly along party lines and has made for some strange bedfellows.
The bill received support from Hampton Roads politicians, including Reps. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach; Bobby Scott, D-Newport News; and Rob Wittman, R-Yorktown.
“(The bill) does not actually ban TikTok, it simply forces TikTok to make a choice — either cut ties
with the Chinese Communist Party or lose American users,” Kiggans said in a statement.
The congresswoman said she reached out to constituents and found 65% of the responses were in favor of the legislation.
“While I understand that many Americans use TikTok on a daily basis, the concerns over Americans’ privacy and the impacts to our national security are too great for Congress not to act,” Kiggans said.
The bill now moves to the Senate. President Joe Biden has stated he will sign it into law if it reaches his desk.
Some legislators — such as Virginia’s two U.S. senators — have sought more comprehensive solutions.
Mark Warner endorsed the House bill following its passage. But he previously introduced another bill, the RESTRICT Act, meant to mitigate risks from technology linked to foreign adversaries, including China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, Cuba and Venezuela, without banning any specific app.
Tim Kaine said in a statement he was was a supporter of the RESTRICT Act because it “provides a comprehensive framework for accountability mechanisms to protect our data and national security.”
“I’m still reviewing the House bill to see how it stacks up to that legislation,” he said.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who banned the use of TikTok on state government devices and wireless networks in 2022, urged senators to support the bill.
“What TikTok is doing is manipulating people with the most advanced algorithms you can believe, and on top of that, gathering all of the data,” Youngkin said during a recent appearance on Fox News. “We’ve got to stop this and that’s why we banned TikTok on state devices in Virginia — it’s time for our federal government to get on it.”
Aaron Martin, assistant professor of data science and media studies at the University of Virginia, said banning TikTok would be a significant move.
“The U.S. for a good two decades now has been preaching about the importance of an open, free, secure online environment, “he said. “This is probably the first time that the United States has done something that is counter to that narrative.”
Martin cautioned that it could embolden other nations to increase online censorship. He also questioned why other apps with ties to China aren’t raising alarms.
“I get the sense this is not really so much about security,” he said. “TikTok is a massive success and it’s threatening to American competitors — Meta being among them.”
Meta is a technology conglomerate headed by Mark Zuckerberg that owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
Given TikTok’s popularity with younger adults, Martin said he also wondered about the extent of blowback Biden could face, and what impact that could have on the upcoming election.
If the TikTok is banned, Ivy Do, owner of Ivy Glam Beauty Bar in Virginia Beach, said she would miss it. Her beauty salon has over 600 followers.
“Just like everyone else, we want the exposure,” she said. “We want people to see us online. It’s just another way to attract clients.”
The beauty bar shares videos that display different services. A woman in one post blinks slowly, showing off new eyelash extensions, while customers in a different video flash their manicures across the screen.
But while TikTok helps attract customers, Do said she would be fine using other social media platforms — and actually prefers Instagram.
Others say TikTok is irreplaceable. Chesapeake resident Russell Cassevah said losing access to the platform would be a massive blow to his nonprofit, Little Bricks Charity, which provides Legos kits to hospitalized children.
“I feel like TikTok has done a really good job at creating communities,” he said. “The algorithms really tailor the experience to you. It has made it so much easier than any other platform to reach out and grow our community.”
Cassevah explained the app’s algorithms help their videos reach users who are passionate about supporting children or helping those with long-term illnesses.
“TikTok does its thing and it takes those videos and puts them before people who want to see them and the rest is history,” he said, adding his nonprofit now has 1.2 million followers who help bring in a “ton” of donations.
Like other TikTok supporters, Cassevah has recently implored legislators to seek other solutions.
“Our legislative process, known for its deliberately slow pace, offers us a unique opportunity to seek alternatives that safeguard national interest without undermining the economic and social value provided by platforms like TikTok,” he said in a recent video.
“It’s crucial to understand the far-reaching implications of an outright ban of a social media platform of any kind. And not just on the creators, but on the wider economic and social fabric that is our nation.”