TikTok Absent From Major App Stores Despite Trump’s Executive Order Delaying Ban

TikTok fans who thought the ban that went into effect on January 19 would be permanent and deleted the app may be regretting their decision after President Trump signed an executive order that delayed the enforcement of the ban. Despite the official reprieve for TikTok, Apple, and Google are not bringing the popular app back to their app stores, meaning users who deleted it after it stopped working might not be able to get it back during the 75-day period when its future will be decided. The Protecting Americans from The Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which was upheld by the Supreme Court and allowed to go into effect, briefly banned TikTok after the Communist Chinese-owned social media platform refused to sell its American operations. The app also disappeared from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store.However, after 12 hours of TikTok not functioning in America, it resumed its operations, citing Mr. Trump’s pledge to sign an executive order delaying the enforcement of the ban in the hopes of coming to an agreement to keep the app operational while protecting national security. Users who did not delete the app and re-opened it after the 12-hour window of it going dark were greeted with a message that said, “In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”After the app’s service returned, users were able to use the app to view and post content. It remained unclear if the app stores would let users search for it and download it again, however. Legal analysts noted that the law that banned TikTok provided for stiff penalties for companies that did not comply with it, which could make them hesitant about letting people download the app again. Mr. Trump’s order delaying the implementation of the ban by 75 days states the Justice Department “shall take no action to enforce the Act or impose any penalties against any entity for any noncompliance with the Act, including for distributing, maintaining, or updating (or enabling the distribution, maintenance, or updating) of any foreign adversary controlled application as defined in the Act.”However, there is a chance that the executive order delaying the prohibition and holding off penalties could itself face a legal challenge. Senator Cotton warned that there could be a legal effort to enforce the ban, and if companies decided to distribute the app, they “could face hundreds of billions of dollars of ruinous liability.”Despite Mr. Trump’s order giving companies the ability to distribute the app without penalties, by Wednesday afternoon, Apple and Google still had not restored it to their app stores. Representatives for Apple and Google did not respond to The New York Sun’s request for comment about whether they plan to reinstate the app during the 75-day period.

TikTok Absent From Major App Stores Despite Trump’s Executive Order Delaying Ban

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