Apple and Google Face Pressure to Remove TikTok From US App Stores – What’s at Stake?
Source: SAYS
Apple and Google could be forced to remove TikTok from their US app stores by 19 January 2025, following a strong warning from two US lawmakers. Republican Representative John Moolenaar and Democrat Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, members of the US House of Representatives’ committee on China, sent a bipartisan letter to the companies’ CEOs demanding action.
The lawmakers argue that TikTok’s ownership by ByteDance, a Chinese company, presents a national security threat due to concerns over potential Chinese government surveillance and propaganda targeting American users. They claim that if ByteDance does not sell TikTok to a non-Chinese entity by the deadline, continuing to offer the app would violate the law.
This law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, mandates that ByteDance sell TikTok or face a nationwide ban. If ByteDance fails to comply, US app stores and Internet services could face significant fines. Though ByteDance has challenged the law in court, a recent federal appeals court ruling upheld the legislation, leaving TikTok with few options unless the Supreme Court intervenes.
Representatives Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi have urged Apple and Google to prepare for TikTok’s removal. They also called on TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to comply with the law, emphasizing that Congress has acted firmly to protect national security.
Despite these demands, TikTok and ByteDance have refused to sell the app, with ByteDance seeking a temporary block of the law as it awaits review by the US Supreme Court. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has stated that if the TikTok ban takes effect, Apple and Google users who already have the app will not be immediately affected. However, the DOJ warned that without support, the app would eventually become inoperable.
TikTok has argued that the law would leave half of the American population without access to the app by the deadline, while a termination of support services would effectively shut the platform down in the US, rendering it unusable.
