TikTok will be banned from Apple, Google apps stores

September 18, 2020

The Trump Administration’s TikTok U.S. ban will come into effect this weekend. Still, TikTok is looking to fight the ruling and is calling on Instagram and Facebook to fight back with them.

U.S. citizens will no longer be able to download both TikTok and WeChat from Apple and Google apps stores this Sunday. However, to be clear, these are new downloads. So anyone with TikTok already on their phone shouldn’t be affected. The Commerce Department is looking to attack this at the corporate level. So, existing TikTok users will not be forced to delete or stop using TikTok. However, it’s important to note that these users will not receive app updates since the app will be removed from the app stores.

Trump Administration says it’s protecting national security

The Trump Administration has reasons to believe that TikTok and WeChat — both Chinese-owned apps — are potentially being used to collect sensitive user data for China.

“Today’s actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party,” U.S. Commerce Department secretary Wilbur Ross said. “At the President’s direction, we have taken significant action to combat China’s malicious collection of American citizens’ personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations.”

TikTok has denied these allegations and is currently looking to take legal action against the Trump Administration.

TikTok is looking to Instagram and Facebook to help fight back against the ban

Interim CEO of TikTok Vanessa Pappas has asked Instagram to “publicly join our challenge and support our litigation.” This was written as a reply to a tweet made by Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram.

We agree that this type of ban would be bad for the industry. We invite Facebook and Instagram to publicly join our challenge and support our litigation. This is a moment to put aside our competition and focus on core principles like freedom of expression and due process of law.
— Vanessa Pappas (@v_ness) September 18, 2020

Currently, TikTok owner Bytedance is still in talks with Oracle about a partnership. This partnership would allow TikTok to be unbanned in the U.S. TikTok would hand over its U.S. assets to whatever company it makes a deal with. The sales deadline set by the Trump Administration is on November 12th. Users will not see any major difference in TikTok’s performance until November 12th. That’s if TikTok can’t land a deal. It would then become village to transfer or host any TikTok-related internet traffic.

We will update you as the situation develops.

Image courtesy: AP Images