*(CNN) — (Reuters) — Google-parent Alphabet and Apple must be ready to remove TikTok from their U.S. app stores on January 19, two US lawmakers said in a letter to the companies’ CEOs Friday.
The bipartisan letter came from two leaders of the US House of Representatives committee on China: Republican Representative John Moolenaar, who is the committee’s chair, and the group’s top Democrat Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Last week, a U.S. federal appeals court upheld a law requiring China-based ByteDance to divest TikTok in the United States or face a ban. The app is used by 170 million Americans.
Separately, Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi also urged TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to sell the app: “Congress has acted decisively to defend the national security of the United States and protect TikTok’s American users from the Chinese Communist Party,” the lawmakers wrote. “We urge TikTok to immediately execute a qualified divestiture.”
The urgency behind the call from U.S. lawmakers for Google-parent Alphabet and Apple to prepare for the potential removal of TikTok underscores the growing concerns surrounding cybersecurity and data privacy. With the app enjoying a massive user base of 170 million Americans, the implications of such a drastic move resonate far beyond mere app availability.
The bipartisan letter from Representatives John Moolenaar and Raja Krishnamoorthi reflects heightened legislative scrutiny of foreign-owned platforms, particularly those originating from China, amid fears about the Chinese Communist Party potentially accessing sensitive user data.
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