Apple and Google

Apple and Google Must Prepare to Remove TikTok from App Stores by Jan. 19, Lawmakers Warn

Apple and Google must be ready to remove TikTok from their U.S. app stores by January 19, two bipartisan lawmakers have warned.

In a letter sent Friday to the CEOs of Apple and Google-parent Alphabet, Republican Representative John Moolenaar and Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi—leaders of the U.S. House Select Committee on China—emphasised the companies’ responsibility to comply with a law targeting the popular video-sharing app.

The warning follows a recent decision by a U.S. federal appeals court that upheld legislation requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban. TikTok currently boasts 170 million American users.

In a separate message, Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi urged TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to expedite the sale of the app, stating, “Congress has acted decisively to defend the national security of the United States and protect TikTok’s American users from the Chinese Communist Party. We urge TikTok to immediately execute a qualified divestiture.”

TikTok, Apple, and Alphabet have yet to comment on the lawmakers’ letter. ByteDance and TikTok, meanwhile, have filed an emergency appeal seeking to block the legislation pending a review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Implications of the Ban

The U.S. Department of Justice clarified on Wednesday that if the ban proceeds on January 19, it will not immediately impact TikTok users who have already downloaded the app. However, restrictions on providing support to TikTok—such as updates and technical services—would eventually render the app unusable.

TikTok responded on Thursday, warning that the ban, without court intervention, would remove the app from mobile stores and make it unavailable to half the country’s population. The company further cautioned that ending support services would “cripple the platform in the United States and make it totally unusable.”

Despite the pressure, ByteDance and TikTok appear to be banking on political support. President-elect Donald Trump has previously pledged to prevent a TikTok ban, which could influence the situation as January approaches.

Political Pressure Builds

Republican Senator Josh Hawley reiterated his support for the legislation and expressed hope that ByteDance would comply by selling TikTok. “The statute is what the statute is,” Hawley said in an interview. “The main issue is it’s subject to Chinese oversight, Beijing oversight—that’s the problem.”

With less than three months to comply, the future of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain, but lawmakers continue to push for swift action.

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