Two US lawmakers have sent a bipartisan letter to the CEOs of Google-parent Alphabet and Apple, urging them to be prepared to remove TikTok from their U.S. app stores by January 19. The letter was issued by Republican Representative John Moolenaar, chair of the US House of Representatives' committee on China, and the committee's top Democrat Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Last week, a U.S. federal appeals court upheld a law requiring China-based ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, to divest its U.S. operations or face a ban. TikTok, which is used by 170 million Americans, has been at the center of national security concerns.
The lawmakers also called on TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to sell the app, emphasizing the need to protect American users from potential threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party.
While Apple, Alphabet, and TikTok have not yet commented on the matter, ByteDance and TikTok have made an emergency bid to temporarily block the law pending a review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Department of Justice clarified that the ban, if implemented, would not immediately prevent existing TikTok users from accessing the app. However, it acknowledged that the lack of support services would eventually render the application unworkable.
TikTok responded by stating that without a court order, the app would disappear from mobile app stores on January 19, affecting a significant portion of the country that does not currently use the platform. The company warned that ending support services would cripple the platform in the United States.
President-elect Donald Trump has expressed his intention to prevent a ban on TikTok, while Republican Senator Josh Hawley emphasized the need for ByteDance to sell the app due to concerns over Chinese oversight.
In conclusion, the future of TikTok in the United States remains uncertain as legal battles and national security considerations continue to shape the fate of the popular social media platform.
