ATLANTA — Metro entrepreneurs and business owners who are making money off of TikTok are reacting to a bill that would take China one step closer to banning the app in the United States if it doesn't sell it.
The White House is calling on senators to take the bill to the president's desk for his signature.
“I'm scared to death,” Glenda Baker said.
Baker, a real estate agent in a metropolitan area, said TikTok videos account for 30 percent of her business.
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“I've made over $1 million just from TikTok,” Baker said.
She said if Congress enacted the ban, her and her colleagues' incomes would be hit hard.
But Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter said it may be worth it for national security. He is a co-sponsor of the bill and said he has heard briefings from ByteDance's CEO and from FBI and Justice Department insiders.
“If you have their app, they have everything on your phone,” said Rep. Carter. “I became convinced that I needed to do something about this. TikTok was a bad actor, and I was convinced that they were bad actors, too.”
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Asked what he would say to Georgia voters who use the app for business, Carter said, “I'm sure there are other apps out there that will take your breath away. This won't leave a blank.”
“Will someone steal my data? You already have it!,” Baker argued.
Baker said her current concern is access to her followers' data.
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“It's important to have contact information for your followers,” Baker says. “Get an email address because tomorrow TikTok might be gone. Would you like to contact me?”
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