TikTok ban could affect Ohioans financially

Lawmakers looking to ban a social media app for national security could impact a number of Americans financially. This time last year, TikTok announced 150 million Americans were active on the site. But, legislation that recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month could ban TikTok, or at least the company that owns the app. H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, aims to ban any apps or services by ByteDance Ltd., a Chinese internet technology company. Rep. Bob Latta, R-5th District, as chair of the communications and technology subcommittee, cosponsored the bill. Latta said the legislation does not ban TikTok in the states, but that ByteDance has to divest itself of TikTok. If ByteDance doesn't divest itself, Americans using the app as content creators would lose an additional source of income. One user, a Cincinnati-area truck driver, said he would lose about $2,000 weekly. John Drury goes by "The Dancing Trucker" and has over one million followers on the app. He's been making videos since August 2023. He said he "goes live" at least once a day, which generates most of the income he brings in. During his, and others, streams, viewers can send gifts and rewards that have monetary values up to $500. TikTok pays its users around $100 for every 10,000 followers signing into the livestream. "The more I go live, the more money I make," he said. Drury's videos showcase him dancing at various places across the United States, including making visits to Findlay to see his "biggest fan." He said he's been dancing his whole life and it's something that brings him joy. He said he does it to make people happy and to get smiles out of people. "To me, it's a simple thing. It's something that I wanted to do," he said. Content creators can also earn money by creating sponsored content or by the amount of views their videos make. While not every app user doesn't make money on the app, area businesses use it to promote their products and services. These users include the University of Findlay, Bowling Green State University, the Children's Museum of Findlay and Trends on Main. The bill passed overwhelmingly in the House and will soon be up for a vote in the Senate. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said he doesn't support taking the app away from the many Ohioans who love it, but that it just needs to "be out of the hands of the Chinese government." "The Chinese Communist Party shouldn't be able to access Americans' data and use its algorithms to try to manipulate people," Brown said. "I'm talking to my colleagues in the Senate about bipartisan legislation that achieves these goals." If the ban goes into effect, TikTok will not be available in the United States again until it's determined that the app is not owned by a Chinese company.