Trump's executive order suspending TikTok ban still has some Chicago users on edge
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday to keep TikTok operating for 75 days — a relief to the social media platform’s users even as national security questions persist.
TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance was supposed to find a U.S. buyer or be banned on Sunday.
The platform went offline for more than 12 hours for its 170 million U.S. users starting Saturday night. Access was restored Sunday for existing users, after Trump promised he would pause the ban — which was approved by Congress and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. As of Tuesday evening, Google and Apple have not reinstated TikTok to its app stores. When searching for the app, Apple displays a message saying, "TikTok and other ByteDance apps are not available in the country or region you're in."
Trump’s order could give ByteDance more time to find a new owner. He's amassed nearly 15 million followers on TikTok since he joined last year, and he has credited the trendsetting platform with helping him gain traction among young voters.
Shou Zi Chew, TikTok’s CEO, attended Trump’s inauguration and was seated with American tech heavyweights like Google, Apple and Meta.
Industry leaders, lawmakers and legal scholars are watching to see how Trump tries to resolve a thicket of regulatory, legal, financial and geopolitical issues. It also has business owners and influencers, who rely on TikTok, feeling on edge.
Paige Serena, a Chicago-based TikTok food and culture influencer known as @plateswithp, was hopeful about the ban’s extension because she and so many creators depend on it.
"I have considered migrating to platforms like Instagram or YouTube permanently, but I don't believe they will be as impactful or effective as TikTok,” said Serena, who began using TikTok in 2022. "While it hasn't directly increased my business revenue, it has exponentially expanded my reach and demographic.”
That growth led to brand partnerships and relationships with Chicago businesses.
“TikTok has given small businesses an unprecedented level of access to potential customers. It’s frustrating that entrepreneurs could lose a major tool for brand growth overnight,” Serena said.
TikTok has been around since 2016, and business owners use the platform in a variety of ways, from growing a customer base to advertising and marketing, as well as selling goods directly from the site.
Kidsy, a Chicago-based re-seller of baby and kids products, started selling on TikTok in November. Since then, sales via the app have accounted for nearly 20% of its monthly revenue, said Shraysi Tandon, co-founder and CEO.
“We only see that number growing. It's given us a meaningful channel to connect with new audiences and advertise to millions of potential customers, mostly millennial and Gen Z parents,” Tandon said.
She said one unique aspect of the social media platform is that it reimburses companies like Kidsy for any discounts they give to their TikTok customers. For example, when Kidsy “offers a 20% coupon to a TikTok user, TikTok reimburses Kidsy 50% of the coupon,” Tandon said. "This is a huge win-win."
A TikTok ban would be a blow to Kidsy, Tandon said. Ahead of the potential ban, her company was exploring other marketing channels, but no social media platform “can currently replicate the powerful marketing engine that TikTok has become,” she said.
Who can enforce the ban?
The Justice Department is generally tasked with enforcing the laws of the federal government. Trump’s executive order instructs the U.S. attorney general not to take any action to enforce the TikTok ban for 75 days “to allow my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans.”
Such a move might itself be subject to legal scrutiny but would buy time for TikTok. Meanwhile, business owners and influencers still face uncertainty.
Tandon believes there is “merit to the protests around the ban being unconstitutional and curbing freedom of speech." She understands the fears about national security risks, but said, "till date there has been no evidence of this, neither through TikTok nor through any other apps that have preceded it."
She also pointed out that "some of the most powerful companies in the world today are U.S. tech and social media companies who would be the primary beneficiary of a TikTok ban.”
Serena said she doesn't believe a potential TikTok ban is "solely about the data, as other foreign-owned businesses operate similarly and collect data in the same way."
Contributing: AP