116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Iowa creators: TikTok ban would 'devastate’ online communities, customer base
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson: New law ‘is about making sure that Americans’ data is protected’
Apr. 30, 2024 5:36 pm, Updated: May. 1, 2024 8:57 am
CEDAR RAPIDS — To most people she’s Jen Rowray. But to more than 170,000 TikTok followers, she’s known as “@cowboyjen”.
The self-described “older Midwest butch lesbian who isn't a cowboy, but does have the horse and the hat,” is a parent and storyteller who has used the social media platform to build community and share short videos with the aim of helping to spread hope and happiness to “young lesbians and young butch lesbians” struggling with isolation “and not knowing where to go.”
“With my TikTok, I want to show young lesbians that I'm able to live a happy, healthy life in rural Iowa,“ Rowray said. “I'm able to show that you don't have to live in a big city to have that life.”
Rowray was among four Iowa TikTok creators who gathered Tuesday for a discussion hosted by the social media platform’s safety leaders to discuss how they got their start on TikTok, how they built their communities and expanded their business on the platform — and what impact a TikTok ban could have.
“I’m not going to leave the platform until they drag me kicking and screaming,” Rowray told reporters. “I will not use the platform if it's taken over by another company, honestly, because I would have to rebuild that trust. It becomes a completely separate platform at that point. TikTok is just too good. It's too accessible to so many people. It's extremely accessible.”
Rowray was joined by Suzy Loftus, head of trust and safety for U.S. data security at TikTok. TikTok users likely have seen videos of the former prosecutor and lawyer appearing regularly in their feed about how the Chinese-owned company is safeguarding American data.
TikTok has roughly 170 million American users, or about half of the population of the United States. In Iowa, the company boasts 1.2 million users, including 39,000 Iowa businesses that use the social media app to grow their customer base.
Tuesday’s discussion in Cedar Rapids comes roughly a week after Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed into law a measure that would force the social media platform's Chinese parent company to divest from its U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban.
“So we're going to different communities to sort of tell the story of how Americans are connecting with each other on TikTok,” Loftus said. “ … There's really great stories to tell here in Iowa about how people are using the platform.”
Hinson: TikTok must cut ties with parent company
TikTok's critics, which include Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson of Marion, argue the app could put U.S. customer data at risk because Chinese law requires China's companies to share information with the government.
TikTok maintains that it operates independently and protects U.S. data through a partnership with Texas-based tech company Oracle that allows U.S. user data to be stored on Oracle's cloud. Oracle acts as the data center for U.S. TikTok users.
While TikTok is owned by ByteDance, Loftus said it is a global company with headquarters in Los Angeles and Singapore, 13 offices across the United States and almost 7,000 U.S. employees.
She noted three out of the company’s five board of directors are U.S. citizens and 60 percent of its ownership is by global investors. Founders and employees each own about 20 percent, she said.
“So there are no ties with Communist China. Our ownership is largely by Americans and American investors,” Loftus said.
The new law gives ByteDance nine months, or potentially up to a year, to find an approved buyer for TikTok. If it fails to do so, TikTok would be banned from U.S. app stores.
“If TikTok truly cared about supporting American businesses and entrepreneurs, they would cut ties with Communist China-controlled ByteDance,” Hinson said in a statement. She co-led a bipartisan effort to force TikTok to divest from its parent company “so Americans can use this app safely.”
TikTok is expected to argue that a forced sale could violate its users’ free speech rights because a new owner could change the app’s content policies and reshape what users are able to freely share.
C.R. business owner: ‘I would be devastated’
Rowray and other Iowa TikTok content creators said they are worried about the platform's future that has enabled them to grow their businesses and build communities.
Kahle Atherton-Boutte bought Prairie Patch Farm, her late uncle’s 50-acre wildlife preserve located just outside Cedar Rapids, in 2018.
Atherton-Boutte said she did all she could to continue her uncle’s legacy. But after multiple failed attempts to promote the business, she turned to TikTok to show off the farm’s charm and its 11 llamas.
Prairie Patch Farm found quick and steady success and became a destination through TikTok videos of dressing up the llamas and showcasing the unusual experiences available at the farm. Now, with more than 166,000 followers, millions of likes and a budding global following, @prairiepatchfarm has evolved from a promotional account into feel-good content.
“TikTok has given me the opportunity to talk about nature preservation in Iowa and my small business on a global scale,” Atherton-Boutte said.
She said about 30 percent of her customers are from TikTok.
“People are suffering more than ever under the crunch of inflation, depression, drug (and) alcohol use. And if one of my llamas can put a wig on and change somebody’s day … yeah, I mean, I think it's absolutely concerning,” Atherton-Boutte said. “And I agree with First Amendment (concerns). You know, we have these other platforms. Why aren't they being targeted?”
Linda Tong, of Des Moines, started her business as a junior in college making handmade planners for herself and friends. Through her TikTok videos, she amassed thousands of followers @lindatongplanners, earning her a grant to purchase her first round of inventory. She is now focused on her business full-time and has built a strong community of returning customers on TikTok.
“I've had customers who have supported my business and my art since 2020. If TikTok were to go away, I would lose that loyal customer base, and it would be hard to replace,” Tong said.
Hinson, speaking last week to The Gazette, said the goal is not a ban but a forced divestiture by ByteDance because of concerns that top Chinese government officials have access to American users' data and could use it to manipulate TikTok’s algorithm to sow divisiveness and discord in the United States.
“This is not about eliminating your platform or your ability to get your message out,” she said. “This is about making sure that Americans’ data is protected, and I think we can have both, and I think that this bill does that balance."
Keeping TikTok safe
Loftus also discussed the importance of safety on the platform, particularly for teens.
“At TikTok, we recognize that we are uniquely attractive to teens,” she said. “You know, there's a lot of things about our platform that they love. And so we have that responsibility to make sure that we have a platform that is safe by design. So we have a number of features that make it very different from an adult experience.”
She said the company removed more than 68 million videos in the United States in 2023 for violating the company’s policies and guidelines, 93 percent of which were removed before they were reported.
Download: US version - Safety and privacy protections for teens on TikTok (1).pdf
Loftus said TikTok employs more than 40,000 safety professionals safeguarding the app. The company uses a combination of technology and people to moderate content in more than 70 languages with specialized moderation teams for complex issues, like misinformation, hate speech and youth safety.
And the company intends to invest more than $2 billion in its “trust and safety” operations this year.
Loftus said TikTok’s aim to support and empower parents to have conversations with their child about their social media us and provide tools to work with their teams to customize their teen’s online experience. That includes allowing parents to set screen time limits and restrict who can comment on videos.
Download: US Family Pairing.pdf
Other safeguards to protect teens on our app include:
- Not allowing direct messaging for users under the age of 16
- Accounts for people under 16 years of age are automatically set to private, along with their content. Their content cannot be downloaded and will not be recommended to people they do not know.
- Every teen under 18 years old has a screen time limit automatically set to 60 minutes.
- Only people older than 18 can livestream.
Through Family Pairing, parents can link their account to their teens' to enable a number of privacy and safety settings, such as setting screen time limits and turning on keyword filters.
Loftus, a mother of three teens, said the company also consults academics and experts from across the globe to regularly evaluate and improve its safety policies and enforcement processes.
Rowray advocated for continued expansion of safety features, more monetization options and a better understanding of TikTok’s algorithm.
Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters