- TikTok returns to Apple and Google app stores after being removed due to US security law concerns
- The app's reinstatement follows a 75-day pause on enforcing the law under President Trump
- Despite concerns, TikTok remains a global sensation, facing scrutiny over its ties to China
TikTok has been reinstated on Apple and Google’s app stores, nearly a month after being removed due to a new security law. AFP journalists confirmed the app’s return on Thursday, February 13.
The Chinese-owned video-sharing platform had been removed from the app stores on January 18, sparking outrage among millions of users.
The removal followed national security concerns in the United States, where authorities feared that the app could be used by the Chinese government to collect data on American users or manipulate US public opinion.
However, the service was reinstated after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who ordered a 75-day pause on enforcing the law that had led to the removal.
This law, passed under the administration of his predecessor, Joe Biden, and overwhelmingly supported by Congress, required TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban.
Despite the law still being in effect, Apple and Google had not made TikTok available in their stores until now.
The law could impose fines of up to $5,000 per user for apps that continue to violate its provisions.
The ban stems from fears that the Chinese government could exploit the app for surveillance or influence. President Trump had suggested a potential joint venture between the United States and ByteDance, but did not provide further details.
Originally launched in 2016 as Douyin for the Chinese market, TikTok went international in 2017 and has since become a global sensation, though it continues to face scrutiny over data privacy and its connections to China.
TikTok’s founder, Zhang Yiming, is China’s richest person
Meanwhile, TheRadar reported that the 41-year-old founder of TikTok and the co-founder of ByteDance, the app’s parent company, Zhang Yiming, has become China’s richest man.
Zhang is now worth $49.3 billion (£38 billion), a 43 per cent increase to his worth in 2023, according to a rich list produced by the Hurun Research Institute.
