Here are the letters that convinced Google and Apple to keep TikTok online

A Freedom of Information Act petition has produced letters that the US Department of Justice sent to Google, Apple, Amazon, and respective different companies successful bid to assuage their concerns astir breaking a instrumentality that banned US web services from moving with TikTok.

The documents — obtained by Zhaocheng Anthony Tan, a Google shareholder who sued for their merchandise earlier this twelvemonth — show Attorney General Pam Bondi and her predecessor Acting Attorney General James McHenry III promising to merchandise companies from work for violating the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which required US companies to prohibition TikTok from app stores and different platforms oregon look hundreds of billions of dollars successful fines. The instrumentality was intended to unit a merchantability of TikTok from its Chinese genitor company, ByteDance, owed to nationalist information concerns.

Additionally, the letters accidental the Justice Department volition measurement successful to forestall anyone other from attempting to enforce penalties, a committedness that includes filing amicus briefs oregon “intervening successful litigation.” McHenry seemingly sent the archetypal circular of letters connected January 30th, 10 days aft Trump signed an enforcement order delaying enforcement of the law, which took effect the time earlier his inauguration. A bid of follow-up letters were sent by Bondi, including a circular dated April 5th, conscionable aft Trump extended the delay connected enforcing the instrumentality to mid-June.

The letters’ beingness was known, but until now, their substance had not been released. The afloat database of recipients includes the operators of app stores, unreality hosting services, and more:

• Apple
• Google
• Amazon
• Microsoft
• Akamai Technologies
• Digital Realty Trust
• Fastly
• T-Mobile US
• Oracle
• LG Electronics USA

Trump has since issued a 3rd extension, which expires successful mid-September, portion promising a merchantability of TikTok by ByteDance to a non-Chinese proprietor remains underway. It is unclear whether immoderate of the orders person a valid ground successful law.