CHARLESTON , S.C. (WCIV) — If you opened TikTok Friday, you probably got a message saying it was once again available to download in the app store. Local creators say the TikTok ban saga is still far from over.
“There’s still a great deal of uncertainty,” lawyer and TikTok creator Erin Bailey said.
On Thursday, Apple and Google got a letter from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi saying that the TikTok ban won’t be enforced right away.
The letter was a good omen for local creators, who use the platform to share their business and services. This comes nearly a month after the TikTok ban went into effect. Even after an executive order from the President seeking to delay the ban for 75 days, neither Apple nor Google returned the app to their stores. This meant if you didn’t have the app on your phone already, or had deleted it, it was suddenly impossible to download after Jan. 19.
“Whatever that letter said that Pam Bondi sent directly to Apple and directly to Google was clearly enough for their legal department to feel like they could rely on that, that they were not going to be prosecuted for violating this law,” Bailey said.
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Many creators and users, including Bailey, said there is still no guarantee the app survives in the long run.
“I am thankful that for now we’re able to use TikTok,” said Bailey. “It is unclear if the president has the power in any sort of long-term to just not enforce a law that has been duly passed and found constitutional and gone through all three branches of government.”
If President Trump doesn’t negotiate a deal by early April to address the national security concerns around TikTok’s current ownership, the app could be shut down once again.
But the Chinese parent company ByteDance’s stance is TikTok and the algorithm that disperses the app are not for sale.
