The latest developments regarding the “anti-TikTok law” indicate that the app’s ban in the US is getting closer. Last week, the appeals court rejected the request for an emergency pause filed by ByteDance. US lawmakers have now cautioned Google and Apple to prepare for the removal of TikTok from their app stores upon meeting the deadline.
Joe Biden signed the anti-TikTok bill in April, setting January 19, 2025, as the deadline for its implementation. Since then, ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, has tried every possible means to change—or at least delay—the situation. However, US courts rejected each attempt by the firm, advancing the short-video platform’s ban.
US representatives warn Google and Apple to be ready to remove TikTok from app stores
Republican representatives John Moolenaar and Raja Krishnamoorthi, two leaders of the US House of Representatives’ committee on China, sent the letter to Google and Apple. The document warns that both companies should be ready to list TikTok from their app stores as soon as the law goes into effect. Although the main faces of the letter are Republican representatives, it is actually a bipartisan document. “Congress has acted decisively to defend the national security of the United States and protect TikTok’s American users from the Chinese Communist Party,” it reads.
Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi also urged TikTok’s CEOs to sell the US stake in the platform. “We urge TikTok to immediately execute a qualified disvestiture,” the letter says. ByteDance has the last option to appeal to the Supreme Court. Donald Trump has also spoken out against the ban on TikTok. However, the law will be enforced one day before the new president-elect takes office.
The app will not stop working immediately
Recently, the DOJ revealed some details about the US TikTok banning process. The agency confirmed that they will not force the immediate shutdown of the platform’s servers. Nor will they prohibit users who have the app installed from using TikTok.
However, the short video platform must disappear from all app stores in the country. Additionally, TikTok developers will no longer be able to provide maintenance or technical support, which will gradually make it unusable.
