Potential U.S. TikTok ban has metro Atlanta content creators concerned

ATLANTA - A potential TikTok ban in the United States has some influences in Atlanta concerned about what the future holds after President Joe Biden said he would sign proposed legislation prohibiting the video-sharing app.

Legislation passed through the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously on Thursday. It calls on China’s ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok — or effectively face a U.S. ban.

Dr. Betsy Grunch, a neurosurgeon based in Gainesville, who has a following of nearly 1.8 million users. Grunch's account gives her followers a glimpse into her life balancing between being a mom and doctor.

"It’s a way to explain things in my field that I think are a little intimidating to a lot of people," Grunch told FOX 5 "It’s grown to over the past three years to something I didn’t expect."

Grunch is just one of the musicians, artists, businesses, and influencers living in metro Atlanta who stand to lose a big platform if the nationwide TikTok ban moves forward.  

"It's helped me not only grow my practice, but I think it’s helped people to reach out to other providers about symptoms they may be having," Grunch said.

Adam Marre is an expert in the field of cybersecurity, and warns that information the app gathers on users can be leveraged by China.

"This information, this data can be aggregated together and be used in propaganda campaigns or influence campaigns to try to sway public opinion," Marre told FOX 5.

TikTok is displayed on the screen of an iPhone on March 05, 2019 in Paris, France. (Credit: Chesnot/Getty Images)

Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that TikTok owner ByteDance could share user data — such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers — with China’s authoritarian government. TikTok said it has never done that and wouldn’t do so if asked. The U.S. government also hasn’t provided evidence of that happening.

Former President Donald Trump has said he opposes a ban because it would help rival social media platform Facebook.

If TikTok does go away, it will force content creators to find other platforms, like Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube, to connect with the public.

Despite her large following, Grunch says if TikTok is banned for the greater good of the country, then so be it. She sees her own issues with the platform.

"I see a lot of misinformation that gets shared on there, which is one of the reasons why I like to be on there to try to put the right information out there," she said.

Biden, in 2022, banned the use of TikTok by the federal government’s nearly 4 million employees on devices owned by its agencies, with limited exceptions for law enforcement, national security and security research purposes.

While his administration has raised national security concerns about TikTok, Biden’s reelection campaign last month joined the platform.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who supports the TikTok ban bill, has indicated it would soon come up for a full vote in the House.