New Delhi, December 14: US lawmakers reportedly urged tech giants Google and Apple to take action against TikTok, the video-sharing app owned by ByteDance. The lawmakers are pushing for TikTok's removal from app stores ahead of a potential ban that could be implemented next month. In April, President Joe Biden signed a law that mandates ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, to divest from the app by January 19, 2025. If ByteDance fails to do so, TikTok could be banned in the United States.

As per a report of Reuters, two US lawmakers, including Indian-American Raja Krishnamoorthi, have asked Google and Apple to remove TikTok from their app stores ahead of a potential ban on the video-sharing platform next month. The chair and Democrat of a committee in the US House of Representatives on China have informed Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, and Tim Cook, CEO of Apple that they need to be prepared to take TikTok off their app stores in the United States. Google Introduces New Tracker Alert Features To Detect and Disable Unwanted Bluetooth Trackers; Here’s How They Work.

It comes after a federal appeals court upheld a law that requires ByteDance to sell its operations in the US or face a potential ban on the app. Representative John Moolenaar, a Republican who chairs the committee, along with Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, urged TikTok's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, to consider selling the popular short-video platform. King Charles III Visits Apple’s UK Headquarters at Battersea and Meets Tim Cook, Apple CEO Says Company Continues To Look Forward Working With Country (Watch Video).

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has pointed out that if the ban on TikTok is enforced on January 19, it would prohibit the use of TikTok by Apple or Google users. The DOJ also acknowledged that restrictions on providing support for TikTok would ultimately make the app unusable. In response, TikTok reportedly stated people in the US who do not already have TikTok downloaded would no longer be able to access it. TikTok also warned that stopping support services for the app would severely impact its functions in the United States and will make it completely unusable for everyone.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 14, 2024 12:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).