Dear Editor,
TikTok has been a savior for many small businesses as they fight to recover, and even thrive, after the pandemic. It offers a quick and engaging way for small businesses to capture an audience in ways that standard advertising cannot do. Even more importantly, it offers these opportunities within a reasonable budget that most small business owners can actually afford. Many entrepreneurs would not be in business here in Tucson or across our state if it were not for TikTok.
I am concerned with the misplaced efforts, both at the State and Federal levels to single out TikTok. TikTok is working with U.S. regulators to address national security concerns and ensure the safety of its users and creators’ privacy. These efforts have gone above and beyond those of most other social media companies out there. Banning a platform which millions in our country use to spark social discourse and innovation does not make Americans safer.
The efforts to ban TikTok are misguided, and fly in the face of America’s free market system. I hope our elected officials will recognize the benefits of TikTok to so many Americans and stand up against this governmental overreach.
Doug Collier
Tucson, Arizona