Techonology

TikTok loaded phones sell for thousands of dollars on eBay as app remains unavailable in US mint

The Associated Press reported that smartphones pre-loaded with TikTok are being sold for thousands of dollars on eBay, Facebook Marketplace and other online stores as the Chinese app remains absent on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in the US. The Bytedance-owned app became unavailable to users in the US and was also removed from the App Store last weekend as it was near a ban in the country due to a federal law.

TikTok was given a lifeline when Donald Trump took over as US President and signed an executive order delaying the ban on TikTok for another 75 days. During this period, TikTok must complete a deal that sees Bydance making a ‘qualifying divestment’.

However, it is not yet clear that even with Trump’s executive order remaining legal, it remains uncertain if an extension was acceptable after the law went into effect on January 19.

Even Trump loyalist and former VP hopeful Tom Cotton has said that TikTok’s service providers could be opening themselves up to ‘liturious liability.’ In a post on X, Cotton said, “Any company that hosts, distributes, services, or otherwise facilitates communist-controlled TikTok could face hundreds of billions of dollars in wasted liability under the law.” “Not only from the DOJ, but also under securities law, shareholder lawsuits, and state AGs,”

TikTok loaded phones listed for thousands of dollars:

With TikTok still missing from the US App Store, some people in the US are selling phones and tablets loaded with the short video app, along with other Bydnes apps such as Lemon8 and video editor CapCut, for a fortune. One listing on eBay sold one phone for up to $50,000.

Another user was selling his iPhone 14 Plus for $10,000, but told the AP the highest bid he received was $4,550, which was still above the phone’s starting price of $799 on Apple’s website.

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