Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action.
Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google risked enormous fines if they did not remove access to TikTok and other ByteDance-owned apps.
In a support document published today, Apple said it is "obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates."
Apple removed TikTok, and other ByteDance-owned apps such as CapCut and Hypic, pursuant to the law that required them to.
"Pursuant to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, apps developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries — including TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and others — will no longer be available for download or updates on the App Store for users in the United States starting January 19, 2025," wrote Apple.
Apple's support document also states that foreign visitors to the U.S. may have limited access to ByteDance app functionality due to the law.
iPhone and iPad users in the U.S. who already installed TikTok can no longer use the app as of late Saturday, as TikTok has made the app "temporarily unavailable." Outside of the U.S., the app remains available on the App Store and is fully functional.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into office this Monday, January 20, and he reportedly might give TikTok a 90-day reprieve on the ban. However, it is not clear if TikTok will ever be able to operate again in the U.S. under ByteDance ownership, or if it will simply be given more time to sort out American ownership.
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