The bill is intended to give the President the power to identify social media apps as national security threats if they are controlled by companies in countries like China, Russia, Iran or North Korea.
Will TikTok soon be an app of the past?
For many content creators, their TikTok page is their business and a main source of income. And without the app, it will mean some pretty big changes for the world of online influencing.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
“It really turned into something I never really knew could happen,” Giselle Chusan said.
Chusan has more than 170,000 TikTok followers on her page @explorewithgg.
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
The food and travel content creator recommends restaurants all across South Florida and gets brand sponsorships, partnerships with restaurants, and even sales through TikTok’s shop.
But because of recent moves to stop the usage of TikTok, Chusan has had to make some changes.
“I was exclusively on TikTok for two years and I didn’t move to other platforms until the talks of bans started becoming more of an issue,” Chusan said.
Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act."
If passed, it would give the president the power to identify social media apps as national security threats if they are controlled by companies in countries like China, Russia, Iran or North Korea.
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, would have 180 days to give up control of the app or it will be banned from U.S. app stores.
For creators, it means their potential for growth and profit is in jeopardy.
“I will be honest right now,” Chusan said. “I have been struggling a lot on TikTok for the last year and a half, two years. The discoverability has really gone down, and I think that’s because so many restrictions have been put on the app and the discoverability is just very low. But, in the beginning, I remember that first viral video that I had, I grew 10,000 followers overnight.”
Because of this, Gisele had to start a 9-to-5 job and move her content to apps like Instagram and YouTube.
But the features on those sites don’t give the same success as TikTok.
“With TikTok leaving or disappearing, it’s going to, the discoverability, I know I keep on hitting on that, it’s a big point for creators, that is how we make our money,” Chusan said. "The brand deals, the sponsorships. TikTok has made it very easy for us to, not for us to access it, but for us to be accessible to brands."
Across the app, thousands of users have posted their personal success stories pleading with legislators to #keeptiktok.
Chusan hopes creators get to keep on creating.
“This is going to be very difficult for them," she said.
Chusan is also worried that without TikTok, access to informational videos will be limited.
The bill is expected to be heard by the House as early as Wednesday, where it is expected to pass.
