The House Select Committee on China began reminding people on Friday that it was taking the situation seriously. potential ban on TikTok in the United States from January 19.
Committee Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Ranking Member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) sent letters to Apple, Google and TikTok Friday, reminding them that unless there is a change in TikTok’s ownership status before January 19, the ban will take effect that day.
Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi wrote in letters to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai: “Without qualified divestment, the law (Protecting Americans from apps controlled by foreign adversaries) makes it illegal the “provision of services to distribute, maintain or update such applications”. application controlled by a foreign adversary (including any source code for such application) through a marketplace (including an online mobile application store) through which users located within the land or maritime borders of the United States may access, maintain or update such application. Under U.S. law, (Apple and Google) must take necessary steps to ensure that they can fully comply with this requirement by January 19, 2025.”
Forbes pointed out that other companies working with TikTok are also affected, such as Amazon Web Services and Oracle.
The two lawmakers wrote in their letter to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew: “Congress acted decisively to defend the national security of the United States and protect American TikTok users from the Chinese Communist Party. We urge TikTok to immediately proceed with a qualified divestiture.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington. DC, confirmed on December 6 a law requiring Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok by January 19 or get the app banned in the United States
The likely next step for TikTok and ByteDance is an appeal to the full Court of Appeals or the U.S. Supreme Court.
Current President Joe Biden has the authority to grant a 90-day extension, after which the ball will return to President-elect Donald Trump’s court, who takes office on January 20.
Trump who floated the idea of a TikTok ban in July 2020, when he said journalists aboard Air Force One that he was concerned about Chinese ownership of the app.
However, after Biden took office, he signed a decree in June 2021 revoking his predecessor’s order to ban TikTok, messaging app WeChat and eight other communications and fintech software apps with ties to China.
The goodwill of the Biden administration did not last, as the House passed a bipartisan bill in March forcing the surrender or sale, with the Senate following suit in April.
Eight TikTok creators entered the fray in Mayfiling a lawsuit claiming the potential ban violated their First Amendment rights.
Both sides presented their case before the Court of Appeal in September.
