TikTok Returns to US App Stores

• TikTok, removed due to security threats, is now returning to the US App Stores temporarily after the company received a special pardon from the office of the US AG.
• Nonetheless, it is unknown how long this comeback lasts for ByteDance, as the Chinese tech giant only has about 75 days to sell its US business or face yet another TikTok ban.

In a bleak turn of events and then a surprising gesture, TikTok returned to American app stores after it was shortly gone owing to some of its ramifications as a threat to national security. The tech giants—Apple and Google—pulled the social networking service back after the intervention by the United States. Nonetheless, this does not signify that TikTok will not face any regulatory headaches because the issues of data protection and foreigners owning American companies are not new in the US policy sphere.

TikTok Getting Banned: A Short History

The concern about the data security of the TikTok application and its association with ByteDance, a Chinese company, has been mounting for several years. American politicians have consistently raised the possibility of the Chinese state securing access to the data of its citizens through the Chinese-owned ByteDance, potentially endangering national security.

To this end, however, the U.S. government enacted the 2024 Act for the Protection of the American Public from the Applications Controlled by Foreign Adversary Nation States (AFAPA). This law called upon ByteDance either to sell the operations of TikTok in the United States or get it banned altogether. The company did not want to lose its business in the United States, so earlier this year, major app stores, namely Apple and Google, delisted TikTok from their stores.

The Resumption Order Successfully Issued by the Attorney General

The liberation of the TikTok app from app stores occurred after the public registered an outcry of discomfort from the users of the application, business entities, and the society increasingly concerned with the fights for digital rights. At some point, Pam Bondi, the Attorney General of the United States, wrote to Apple and Google, in which she pointed out that those companies that provide the service of TikTok do not commit any crime or any wrongdoing under the law.

For this reason, without hesitation, TikTok was able to return to Apple’s and Google’s digital stores. This has so far changed the tide of more than 150 million users of the platform in the US, who, at least for some time, can now enjoy updates and can freely use the app.

How Will This Affect Users and Businesses?

For consumers, the return of the TikTok app means that the fun times on the app, the catching up, as well as the business that they jotted and posted, will not be put to an end any time soon. TikTok marketing is the cornerstone of business for some content creators and businesses. The restoration of the app avails content services for all digital communications, social engagement, and advertising without any break in activity.

Be that as it may, questions border the longest-run existence of TikTok in the United States. According to the U.S. government’s extension rule, ByteDance is granted an additional 75 days to evaluate its position regarding the sale of the United States domestic operations. On the contrary, if another arrangement does not work out, the app shall be deleted again, possibly prohibited once more.

Political and Regulatory Implications

The political and economic dimension of the TikTok issue is not only confined to the technology industry. The problem is reflective of the growing schisms between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China. Neither has the Biden administration departed from its predecessor regarding the focus on the penetration of Chinese tech companies into the American market.

Without a doubt, the revivification of TikTok is illustratory; such enforcement also raises concerns regarding the seemingly uncapped handy exercise of power by giant tech companies, such as Apple and Google. Yes, the decision to ban and then bring back TikTok app stores shows how even powerful institutions have to respect market forces.

The Prospective Outcomes for the Future of TikTok.

Upon the expiration of 75 days, various possibilities are likely to impact the way TikTok is run or its presence in the United States.

(1) The U.S. operations of TikTok are acquired—prospective buyers (may include American firms) may assume the operations in the United States of TikTok without compromising security requirements.

(2) The TikTok file security ultra block is negotiated—ByteDance could go one step further in its proposals by, for example, keeping the American users’ data in US database centres and under independent supervision.

(3) Another ban in the offing—If all else fails, another attempt at forcing the removal of the app will be made, with the distinct difference being that such efforts will be more vigorous.

According to the latest report from Sensor Tower, from the date of its launch, the TikTok app was among the top 5 most downloaded apps, especially from app stores and the Play Store worldwide.

As it stands today:

It is a small victory for now to have TikTok back in app stores in the United States; however, it still does not solve the overall problem. As national security matters have not been put to rest, the next couple of months will be crucial in establishing whether this app remains in the States or not.

That said, although there is a possibility of TikTok being banned, it is also important for users to appreciate the app at the moment. In other words, the dispute, which is still ongoing, also bespeaks a much greater problem of digital sovereignty, security, and the rise of technological empires.