Clock ticking on Tiktok as Google, Apple told to prepare removing app from United States

International

THE short-form video hosting application Tiktok may no longer be available in the United States (US) starting January 19, 2025 after a federal appeals court denied a bid to delay a law from taking effect.

Google-parent Alphabet and Apple may be required to remove the popular social media app from their US app stores, according to a letter sent by two US lawmakers to the companies’ CEOs.

The bipartisan letter was penned by Representative John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House committee on China, and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the committee’s top Democrat.

This move follows a recent US federal appeals court ruling that upholds a law demanding that China-based ByteDance divest TikTok or face a potential ban in the US, where the app has 170 million users.

In the letter, Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi urged TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to comply with the law and immediately begin the process of selling the app to ensure national security and protect US users from potential Chinese government influence.

The lawmakers emphasized that Congress had acted decisively to address concerns over the app’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

While Apple, Alphabet, and TikTok have yet to comment, ByteDance and TikTok are challenging the law with an emergency bid to block its enforcement, pending a review by the US Supreme Court.

The Department of Justice has clarified that if the ban takes effect, it will not immediately prevent users who have already downloaded TikTok from using the app.

However, the prohibition on support services will eventually make the app unworkable.

TikTok warned that the removal of support services would render the platform unusable, particularly for new users.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Josh Hawley has expressed support for a forced sale of TikTok, citing concerns over Chinese government oversight of the app.(CMM)