Lawmakers Warn Apple, Google: Remove TikTok by January 19 if ByteDance Doesn't Sell

Dec 14, 2024, 05:36 AM

Key House lawmakers from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party have warned Apple and Google to prepare to remove TikTok from their U.S. app stores by January 19 if the app's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, does not sell its U.S. operations. TikTok, used by 170 million Americans, is scrambling in federal court to halt a federal law requiring ByteDance to divest to a U.S. owner or face a ban in the U.S. on January 19. A federal appeals court has rejected TikTok's request to temporarily halt the impending ban, leaving the mid-January deadline in place. TikTok is expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. The lawmakers emphasize concerns over national security and data privacy due to TikTok's ties to China.