The chairman of the US House of Representatives Committee on China Affairs and the top Democrat on it said today (friday) to the CEOs of Alphabet (Google’s parent company) and Apple that they must prepare for the removal of the social network “TikTok” from the American app stores on January 19.
Last week, a federal appeals court in the US approved a law requiring the Chinese company “Bytedance” to sell its investments in TikTok in the US or face a ban on use.
Members of Congress John Moliner (Republican) Raja Krishnamurthy Contact the TikTok CEO separately Shu Ziqiu And they demanded that he sell the short video app, which is used by 170 million Americans. “Congress acted resolutely to protect US national security and American TikTok users from China,” according to a report published in “The Economic Times.”
“Congress has acted decisively to protect US national security and protect American TikTok users from the Chinese Communist Party. We urge Tiktok to carry out an immediate sale process,” the lawmakers wrote.
It should be noted that TikTok has become a major digital force in the US, with 170 million users, and has gained popularity especially among young people who are drawn to the short videos. The platform has attracted advertisers from some of the largest companies in the country, and established a trading platform called “TikTok Shop”, which has become a market for small businesses.
However, Congress recently approved a law requiring Chinese-backed parent company ByteDance to sell off TikTok’s assets or face a ban, out of concern that the platform’s Chinese owners are collecting information on American consumers.
For years, politicians and others have repeated threats against TikTok, so some users ignore the new threats. But the situation changed last Friday with the possibility of a ban in just six weeks, although the company can still appeal to the US Supreme Court.