As the potential ban of TikTok in the United States looms, lawmakers reminded Apple on Friday of their responsibility for enforcement.
Latest Developments on the TikTok Ban
To recap, President Biden signed the TikTok divest-or-ban legislation in April. While the bill does not outright ban TikTok, it requires the China-based parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok within a specified timeframe. This deadline expires next month, leading to a ban on TikTok in the U.S. effective January 19. Last week, this law was upheld in court.
The legislation arises from worries that TikTok and ByteDance pose national security risks to the United States.
Beginning January 19, platforms such as Apple and Google will not be allowed to host TikTok in the U.S. Recently, House China Select Committee chair John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) sent a letter to Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, emphasizing Apple’s obligations:
“As you are aware, without an approved divestiture, the law prohibits the provision of services to disseminate, maintain, or update any application controlled by a foreign adversary (including any associated source code) via a marketplace (such as an online mobile application store) from which users within U.S. territory may access, maintain, or update said application.
According to U.S. law, Apple must take all necessary actions to ensure compliance with this provision by January 19, 2025.”
Similar correspondence was sent to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, as well as a new communication directed to TikTok CEO Shou Chew. In their message to Chew, the lawmakers remarked:
“The Court ruled that ‘[t]he First Amendment exists to safeguard free speech in the United States. The Government’s actions aim solely to protect that freedom from foreign adversaries and to curb their capability to collect data on individuals in the United States.’ This decision dismissed all of TikTok’s constitutional arguments… Congress has decisively acted to guard the national security of the United States and to shield American TikTok users from the Chinese Communist Party. We strongly encourage TikTok to promptly pursue a qualified divestiture.”
With just over a month remaining for ByteDance to navigate a way to avert a TikTok ban in the USA, time is undeniably short. Do you believe the app will ultimately face a ban? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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