US prosecutor general Pam Bondi said at least 10 technology companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google, that they “did not take responsibility” for supporting Tiktok, despite the federal prohibition of providing services to the popular application for video sharing, in accordance with Letters revealed on Thursday.
According to the orders of President Donald Trump, Bondi refused to enforce the law adopted by the Congress last year, which classifies Tiktok as a risk of national security due to connections with China and heat the companies from the dissemination of applications to US consumers.
Tiktok may avoid the ban by reducing the property of Chinese entities in American operations, and Trump described these negotiations as ongoing. But constitutional experts questioned the legality of Trump’s executive orders, which delay the enforcement of the ban as the sales talks duration.
At the beginning of this year, Tiktok disappeared from the American Apple stores in Apple and Google after the ban on the ban. But despite the fact that the law is still in books, Tiktok returned to stores after just a 26-day break. Several media reported at a time when Bondi wrote to Apple and Google, promising that they would not stand before prosecution. But the letters were publicly disclosed until Thursday.
The Silicon Valley software engineer, Tony Tan, was looking for letters in accordance with the Act on the freedom of information. The Department of Justice initially claimed that he had no provisions matching the Tan application. He sued the department, which eventually gave him several letters on Thursday.
The spokesman for the Department of Justice did not immediately answer to the request for comment.
The disclosures show that the first letters were dated 30 January and sent to four companies – Microsoft, Google, Apple and the content supply network suppliers quickly. “Google has not committed any violation of the Act, and Google is not responsible under the Act during the covered period,” wrote the then prosecutor general James Mchenry. “Google may continue to provide services to Tiktok, in accordance with the executive order without violating the act and without incurring any legal liability.”
According to published documents, Bondi took the position of prosecutor general at the beginning of February, and a few days later Google and Apple wrote separately to her. In response of February 11, Bondi wrote that “the Department of Justice also irrevocably abandons all claims that the United States could have against” companies for violating the ban on Tiktok.
After asking, Microsoft also received a letter “irrevocably abandoning all claims.” A similar language was included in the letters of March 10 to Amazon, Digital Realty from Digital Realty and the T-Mobile mobile phone service.
At the beginning of April, Trump expanded the negotiating window regarding the sale of Tiktok and further delayed enforcement of the ban. This led to a round of 10 letters on April 5, including the Akamai content supplier, Oracle cloud supplier and LG television manufacturer. Among these letters, only those to Apple and Google mentioned “irrevocable abandonment”. But three days later Bondi sent a up-to-date version to Microsoft, including language.
Microsoft and the other nine companies did not immediately answer requests for comment.
Tan, who obtained letters, filed a lawsuit against Google Alphabet’s parent company last month, accusing him of suspending his information about his decision on further distribution of Tiktok in his play store. (Google earlier refused to comment on the wired lawsuit.) He is worried that the promises of Bondi are not binding, and that Trump or the future president may finally prosecute technology companies, which currently support Tiktok. Google can face billions of dollars if it is considered a violation of the ban.