US Lawmakers Urge Google and Apple to Remove TikTok from App Stores by January 19

Us lawmakers direct action against TikTok

US lawmakers have officially directed Google and Apple to prepare to remove TikTok from their app stores by January 19, 2025, following a unanimous court ruling that upheld legislation banning the social media platform from operating in the US.

Court ruling and government response

On December 6, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) rejected all constitutional challenges raised by TikTok, supporting the government law signed by President Joe Biden demanding the sale of the social media platform.

TikTok and its parent company ByteDance subsequently filed an emergency motion on Dec. 9 asking for a temporary injunction to delay the legislation.

In response, the US Department of Justice on Thursday (December 11) called on the court to refuse ByteDance and TikTok’s motion to delay the legislation, arguing that they “offer no compelling reason to delay the Supreme Court’s prerogative to decide how a proceeding before this Court should proceed.”

Most recently, on Friday (December 13th), the United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party sent letters to Google General Manager Sundar Pichai and Apple General Manager Tim Cook, emphasizing that companies must take the necessary measures to comply with the law.

“As you know, without a qualified sale, the Act makes it illegal to provide distribution, maintenance, or update services to such an application controlled by a foreign adversary… through a marketplace.”

US House Select Committee

“As you know, without a qualified sale, the Law makes it illegal to provide services for the distribution, support or update of such an application controlled by a foreign attacker (including any source code of such application) through a marketplace (including an online mobile application store) through which users on land or maritime boundaries of the United States may access, maintain, or update such an application,” the House committee stated.

In letters sent to executives at Apple and Google, as well as the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, the House committee noted that the D.C. ruling affirmed that the First Amendment protects free speech, and in this case, the government’s action was aimed at safeguarding that freedom from potential foreign hostile influence.

Future implications for TikTok

TikTok has been provided until April 24, 2024, a total of 233 days to find a solution that addresses national security concerns and faces the imminent threat of removal from US app stores if it fails to comply.

“Congress has taken decisive action to protect the national security of the United States and protect American TikTok users from the Chinese Communist Party. We urge TikTok to immediately conduct a qualified asset sale,” the lawmakers stated in a letter addressed to Shou Zi Chew.

In separate letters to the CEOs of Apple and Google, the House committee reiterated that they “must take the necessary steps to ensure full compliance with this requirement by January 19, 2025.”

TikTok stated it would appeal to the Supreme Court, asserting, “the Supreme Court should have the opportunity, as the only court with appellate jurisdiction over this claim, to decide whether to review this extraordinary case.”

If the Supreme Court does not intervene or if ByteDance does not sell TikTok by Jan. 19, app stores will be required to remove TikTok and block updates. Although current users may initially retain access, over time the application could become unusable.

However, former President Donald Trump, who originally proposed the TikTok ban during his previous term, might serve as a lifeline for the platform. In November, reports surfaced indicating that Trump was expected to take measures to maintain the video streaming platform’s presence in the U.S. upon his return to office.

Meanwhile, Information reports that Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of Activision Blizzard, is still interested in acquiring TikTok. Citing sources familiar with his plans, the news outlet reported that Kotick is waiting for Trump to take office before initiating any actions. Kotick had first expressed his acquisition intentions earlier this year.