Earlier this year, TikTok was supposed to be banned in the US. However, shortly after Trump took office for his second term as the US President, he gave it a reprieve from the ban. However, it was only about a month later before the app was reinstated in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. A recently published letter from the Justice Department reveals how Apple and Google skirted the TikTok ban.
Legal letter lets Apple and Google skirt TikTok ban
Some of you might be wondering, if Trump gave TikTok a reprieve from the ban, why would Apple and Google be worried about letting the app back into their app stores? This is because both companies were concerned that doing so would violate the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
However, if you’ve been following the whole TikTok saga, you might have heard that the Justice Department had assured both Apple and Google that they were “safe”. But how? Well, thanks to the letter, written by Attorney General Pam Bondi, we know how.
The letter was acquired through a Freedom of Information Act Request made by Tony Tan. Tan is a software engineer and a Google shareholder. He is suing Google for not complying with the TikTok ban. The letter runs for 42 pages, but the gist of it is that Bondi and her predecessor, Acting Attorney General James McHenry III, had promised to release Apple and Google from any responsibility for violating the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
It also states that the Justice Department will step in and prevent anyone else from attempting to enforce these penalties. This basically gives Apple and Google protection from the law. It also allowed them to put TikTok back in their app stores without fear of legal repercussions.
TikTok’s third extension
At the moment, TikTok is enjoying its third ban extension. Trump had initially given the app a 75-day reprieve from the ban. He had hoped that the US government could reach a deal to sell TikTok to a US-owned company. However, that did not happen. The ban has since been extended twice.
However, recently, Trump said that he has “very wealthy” people lined up to buy TikTok. It remains to be seen if Trump can strike a deal with the Chinese government.
The post This Letter Shows How Google and Apple Avoided the TikTok Ban appeared first on Android Headlines.