RACINE, Wis. — A potential ban on TikTok is raising concerns, especially among small business owners in Wisconsin who find the platform useful for their marketing strategies.
Charlie Ferguson, who owns Playspace in downtown Racine, said TikTok has played an important role in promoting her business.
Posting videos on TikTok is her way of promoting to young families and reaching a wider audience.
“We wouldn't have been able to grow as fast as we did without it,” Ferguson said.
She said TikTok has also helped her connect with other small business owners and share insights and best practices.
“Some people contacted me to learn from the business,” she said. “We found a place where we can communicate with each other.”
Similarly, Alec Lachman said TikTok helped him become a successful entrepreneur.
“I work specifically in the gaming field. I also create content and videos for other businesses. TikTok is the reason I was able to transition from a 9-to-5 job to being self-employed. That's the main driver of sales, advertising, and leveraging my platform,” Luckman said.
The TikTok app is controlled by a Beijing-based company called ByteDance.
U.S. government officials have long shared privacy concerns about TikTok user information being shared with the Chinese government.
TikTok is banned on all US government-owned devices.
Still, Lachman and Ferguson are among the many TikTok users who say the benefits of the app outweigh the risks.
“As a small business, I'm convinced that TikTok does more good than harm. I think that's important to a lot of people,” Ferguson said.
“Banning TikTok would be a huge blow not only to me, but also to the millions of businesses in the United States that use this application,” Lachman said.
President Joe Biden has indicated he would support banning TikTok if the ban is approved by both the House and Senate.
