Tom Cotton warns of ‘ruinous liability’ if companies follow Trump’s call to unban TikTok

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) threatened “ruinous liability” for any company that followed President-elect Donald Trump’s instructions by restoring access to the TikTok app after legislation banned it.After the TikTok ban went into effect on Sunday, Trump made a plea on his Truth Social platform for companies like Google and Apple to restore access to the app through their online stores.”I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!” Trump exclaimed. “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.””Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations,” he added.In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Cotton seemed to disagree with the president-elect.”Any company that hosts, distributes, services, or otherwise facilitates communist-controlled TikTok could face hundreds of billions of dollars of ruinous liability under the law, not just from DOJ, but also under securities law, shareholder lawsuits, and state AGs,” Cotton explained. “Think about it.”A statement from TikTok said it had restored service and thanked Trump.ALSO READ: Inside the parade of right-wing world leaders flocking to D.C. for Trump’s inauguration”We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive,” the company explained.At the time of publication, TikTok was not available on Apple’s App Store but was accessible through its website.

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