No Decision Has Been Made to Ban TikTok From the Apple App Store or Google Play Store
The Claim
Apple App Store and Google Play Store will ban TikTok in the U.S.
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Emerging story
Social media users have recently widely circulated a claim purporting that TikTok is going to be banned and deleted by Apple App Store and Goole Play Store in the U.S.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be misleading. Neither Google nor Apple have announced that they will be banning TikTok.
The Federal Communications Commission's Commissioner Believes TikTok Should Be Banned
In a letter posted on Twitter, Republican FCC commissioner Brendan Carr urged Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their respective app stores, describing it as “an unacceptable national security risk.”
Neither Apple nor Google have responded to Carr's request to remove TikTok from their app stores.
Carr's letter follows a report by BuzzFeed News, on June 17, alleging that TikTok employees have "repeatedly" accessed the data of U.S.-based users.
TikTok's Letter to U.S. Senators
In a letter dated June 30, 2022, TikTok's chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, explained how TikTok plans to protect American data.
The eight-page letter explains how TikTok will be run from the American company's computers and will be audited by a third party. As part of that plan, American users' personal information will be stored with Oracle rather than on TikTok's servers. The letter was obtained and published by The New York Times.
In light of these findings, Misbar confirms that the circulating claim is misleading. Despite calls to ban TikTok from Google Play Store and Apple App Store, no decision has yet been made.
Additional Reporting by Misbar
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