WASHINGTON — Greater than two dozen content material creators — starting from educators to small enterprise house owners — gathered on the nation’s capital this week to advocate for TikTok amid lawmakers’ calls to ban the platform.

The group of about 30 TikTokers — who’ve a collective following of over 60 million folks — are anticipated to hitch Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., exterior Congress for a rally on Wednesday afternoon to debate their opposition to a possible ban. 

NBC Information confirmed final week that the Biden administration is contemplating a ban of TikTok within the U.S. if the app’s Chinese language house owners refuse to promote their stakes. Critics of the app argue TikTok is a nationwide safety risk given its means to gather information on its customers, with some noting a lot of the consumer base is teenagers and younger adults. That’s countered by safety specialists who argue the app is not any extra a safety risk than the various different apps that acquire information and level to the dearth of any broad U.S. information privateness laws. 

A number of creators who spoke to NBC Information forward of the rally mentioned they felt motivated to unfold consciousness to lawmakers about how TikTok impacts their livelihoods and communities. Many mentioned that TikTok flew them to D.C. to take part within the press convention.  

“I need to cease the misperception that it’s simply an app. It’s a lot greater than that,” mentioned Duncan Joseph, who has greater than 4.5 million followers on his account, @duncanyounot. “If it had been to be eliminated, these communities can’t simply go to a different spot. That is the house … and also you simply can’t rip that social cloth away from so many individuals.”

Some creators identified that the administration itself has utilized the platform to assist unfold consciousness to Gen Z customers on varied main coverage initiatives. The administration, together with Anthony Fauci, the previous director of the Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Ailments, labored with high TikTok stars to encourage vaccination in opposition to Covid-19. Extra just lately, the White Home additionally briefed a handful of influencers about america’ strategic objectives in Ukraine, The Washington Put up reported final yr.

V Spehar, often known as @underthedesknews on TikTok, was among the many roughly 20 creators invited to the White Home in September 2022 as a part of the Biden administration’s celebration of the Inflation Discount Act. Spehar mentioned the U.S. authorities altering its stance on TikTok has been irritating for the creators, significantly those that had been tapped by the administration to assist disseminate details about varied points.

“I believe the White Home actually acknowledges the significance and the attain this platform has, or I wouldn’t have two letters sitting at house on my desk proper now signed by Joe Biden saying how vital my platform is and the way proud he’s of the work I do,” mentioned Spehar, who has grow to be recognized for delivering the information in a brief, digestible manner.

Others, like Naomi Hearts, often known as @naomiheartsxo on TikTok, mentioned she needed to let politicians know the way the app has helped give a voice to marginalized teams.

“I really feel like, as a trans lady, being on this platform, I’ve had alternatives I by no means would have had if I had not been for TikTok,” she mentioned. “It’s very disheartening to see folks attempt to take that away.” 

Hearts initially deliberate to make use of her platform for leisure, however mentioned she quickly realized how vital it was for her followers to see a trans lady who is flourishing on the platform. 

“I do that as a result of I need to be the illustration I want I noticed rising up,” she mentioned. “I really feel just like the app is … a spot the place folks come to really feel a way of humanity and a way of togetherness and so it truly is disheartening to see [a possible ban] however I hope our tales assist to alter their [politicians’] minds a bit.”

Hearts mentioned TikTok has additionally given her the power to be a full-time content material creator, making $50,000 in her first yr on the platform and $100,000 in her second yr by means of model offers.  

The creator rally in D.C. comes someday earlier than TikTok CEO Shou Chew is scheduled to testify in Congress in regards to the app. On Tuesday, Chew instantly appealed to TikTok customers himself, posting a video to the platform.

“Some politicians have began speaking about banning TikTok,” he mentioned within the video. “Now this might take TikTok away from all 150 million of you.” 

The Biden administration’s attainable ban isn’t the primary time the app has been threatened by a U.S. president. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump introduced he would ban TikTok. That ban by no means got here to fruition. 

Content material creator Aidan Kohn-Murphy, recognized to his virtually 300,000 TikTok followers as @aidanpleasestoptalking, mentioned a ban might have political ramifications for the Biden administration. 

“When Trump threatened to ban TikTok, younger folks mobilized. It was one of many huge elements of youth turnout in 2020,” Kohn-Murphy, who additionally runs the account for youth political group @GenZforChange, mentioned. “I believe younger individuals are already disaffected with politics in plenty of methods, and I believe that is going to construct on that.” 

At present, TikTok is banned from federal gadgets and a few states have adopted go well with. A number of public universities within the U.S. have additionally banned the app from their gadgets and Wi-Fi. Some governors have additionally banned TikTok on state pc networks, whereas the Justice Division and the FBI are investigating TikTok and its dad or mum firm ByteDance, together with allegations that firm staff spied on journalists. 

The platform has ramped up its public relations offensive in response to the blowback. As NBC Information reported in January, senior executives on the well-liked video app and their lobbyists have been briefing members of Congress, tutorial researchers, suppose tank writers and others a few $1.5 billion effort that they name Mission Texas, laying out particulars of how TikTok believes it could deal with the issues of people that see it as a safety risk, in accordance with individuals who mentioned that they had been briefed and media stories in regards to the lobbying. 

TikTok spokesperson Jamal Brown mentioned in an electronic mail assertion that he believes Wednesday’s rally will give lawmakers debating a ban on the platform an opportunity to “hear firsthand from folks whose lives can be instantly affected by their choices.”

“We sit up for welcoming our creators to our nation’s capital, serving to them make their voices heard, and persevering with to drive significant influence of their lives and for his or her communities,” Brown mentioned.