Why Apple and Google Haven’t Put TikTok Back in Their App Stores
By Movieguide® Contributor
After a brief shutdown, TikTok is back for US users — but it looks like app stores aren’t too sure it’s going to stick.
“The short video app has yet to appear on [Apple and Google’s] app stores, reflecting an unease about the White House executive order that has given TikTok the confidence to resume operations after temporarily shuttering the service on 18 January,” The Guardian reported.
The legislation surrounding the ban barred companies from selling the app or even providing software updates for existing users. Despite President Trump’s executive order pausing the ban, Apple and Google still haven’t re-added TikTok to their stores.
READ MORE: WAIT…TIKTOK ISN’T BANNED? WHAT TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER MEANS FOR PLATFORM
Legal experts say the companies are right to be cautious. Saurabh Vishnubhakat, a professor at the Cardozo School of Law, explained that a court might be okay with a “temporary suspension” of enforcement of the law but is “less likely” to tolerate a “wholesale repudiation” of the legislation.
“Although the attorney general is free to declare what they think the law is — or what the president thinks the law is — it is ultimately for the courts to decide whether the law has actually been violated,” Vishnubhakat said.
Elettra Bietti, an assistant law professor at Northeastern University, added that “parties other than the DoJ and attorney general — for example, privates — might be able to sue companies for non-compliance with the ban or divest mandate.”
On the day the ban was set to take effect, Senator Tom Cotton posted on X, “Any company that hosts, distributes, services, or otherwise facilitates communist-controlled TikTok could face hundreds of billions of dollars of ruinous liability under the law, not just from DOJ, but also under securities law, shareholder lawsuits, and state AGs. Think about it.”
“[Sen. Cotton’s] comment alone could be enough to mean companies like Apple and Google will be hesitant to restore the app to their app stores,” Forbes reported. “Since there could be a per-user fine for providing an app that is banned, caution will continue to be the watchword for these companies.”
READ MORE: DO AMERICANS SUPPORT THE TIKTOK BAN?
- Content: +1Share:
- Content: +3
