What will happen to TikTok on Apple and Google's app store on Sunday?
With President-elect Trump adding uncertainty around whether a TikTok ban will go into effect, the focus is now turning to companies like Google and Apple
With President-elect Donald Trump adding uncertainty around whether a TikTok ban will go into effect, the focus is now turning to companies like Google and Apple that are expected to take the popular video sharing app off their platforms in just two days.
Though the Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld a federal law that could ban TikTok nationwide, it’s unclear how a shutdown of the popular social media platform will play out and what Americans will see when the clock strikes midnight on Sunday.
The court decision comes against a backdrop of unusual political agitation by Trump, who vowed that he could negotiate a solution after he takes office, and the administration of President Joe Biden, which has signaled it won’t enforce the law beginning Sunday, his final full day in office. Now, tech observers — and some users — are intently watching to see what happens over the weekend and beyond.
“We’re really in uncharted territory here in terms of tech policy,” said Sarak Kreps, the director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute.
Under the law, mobile app stores — like the ones operated by Apple and Google — and internet hosting services will face major fines if they continue to distribute the platform to U.S. users beyond the deadline for divestment from ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company. The companies could pay up to $5,000 for each user who continues to access TikTok, meaning penalties could total to a large sum.
A lawyer representing TikTok told Supreme Court justices last week that the platform will “go dark” on Jan. 19 if the law isn’t
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