US lawmakers have recently told Google's parent company, Alphabet, and Apple to get ready to remove TikTok from their app stores by January 19.
This instruction, issued by Representative John Moolenaar, a Republican, and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, comes after a recent ruling by a federal appeals court. Last week, the court upheld a law that forces ByteDance, TikTok's China-based parent company, to sell its US operations or face a possible ban, according to a Reuters report.
Apple, Alphabet, and TikTok have not yet reacted to these orders. On Monday, ByteDance and TikTok filed an emergency request with the U.S. Supreme Court to temporarily block the law while it undergoes review.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that even if the ban goes into effect on January 19, it would not immediately stop Apple and Google users from using TikTok. However, limitations on support services would eventually make the app unusable in the United States.
TikTok, in a statement on Thursday, expressed that without a court order, the law would result in TikTok's removal from app stores, making it inaccessible to half of the US population that has not yet downloaded the app.
The company also stated that ending support services would "cripple the platform in the United States and make it totally unusable."
ByteDance and TikTok also mentioned that President-elect Donald Trump has promised to prevent a ban on the app.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
