WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration will ban WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok from U.S. app stores starting Sunday night, a move that will block Americans from downloading the Chinese-owned platforms over concerns they pose a national security threat.
The bans, announced on Friday, affect only new downloads and updates and are less sweeping than expected, particularly for TikTok, giving its parent group ByteDance some breathing space to clinch an agreement over the fate of its U.S. operations.
WeChat, an all-in-one messaging, social media and electronic payment app, faces more severe restrictions from Sunday. Existing TikTok users, on the other hand, will see little change until Nov. 12 when a ban on some technical transactions will kick in, which TikTok said would amount to an effective ban.
“We disagree with the decision from the Commerce Department, and are disappointed that it stands to block new app downloads from Sunday and ban use of the TikTok app in the U.S. from Nov. 12,” the company said in a statement. “We will continue to challenge the unjust executive order, which was enacted without due process and threatens to deprive the American people and small businesses across the U.S. of a significant platform for both a voice and livelihoods.”
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network that “the basic TikTok will stay intact until Nov. 12.”
The ban on new U.S. downloads of the widely popular app could still be rescinded by President Donald Trump before it takes effect if ByteDance seals a deal with Oracle that addresses concerns about the security of its users’ data.
“This is the right move - ratchet up the pressure on Beijing, protect Americans,” said Republican Senator Josh Hawley on Twitter.
The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to purge “untrusted” Chinese apps from U.S. digital networks amid escalating tensions with Beijing on a range of issues from trade and human rights to the battle for tech supremacy.
The ban on WeChat, used by over 1 billion people worldwide, bars the transfer of funds or processing of payments to or from people in the United States through it. Users could also start to experience slower service from Sunday night.
The Commerce Department order bars Apple Inc’s app store, Alphabet Inc’s Google Play and others from offering the apps on any platform “that can be reached from within the United States,” a senior Commerce official told Reuters.
While the bans are less dramatic than some had originally feared, Commerce officials said additional transactions could be added at a later date.
Oracle shares were down 0.3% after initially dropping 1.6% in pre-market trading.
The American Civil Liberties Union said the Commerce order “violates the First Amendment rights of people in the United States by restricting their ability to communicate and conduct important transactions on the two social media platforms.”
It added it also “harms the privacy and security of millions of existing TikTok and WeChat users in the United States by blocking software updates, which can fix vulnerabilities and make the apps more secure.”
The order does not ban U.S. companies from doing businesses on WeChat outside the United States, which will be welcome news to U.S. firms like Walmart and Starbucks that use WeChat’s embedded ‘mini-app’ programs to facilitate transactions and engage consumers in China, officials said.
The order will not bar transactions with WeChat-owner Tencent Holdings’ other businesses, including its online gaming operations, and will not prohibit Apple, Google or others from offering TikTok or WeChat apps anywhere outside the United States.
The bans are in response to a pair of executive orders issued by Trump on Aug. 6 that gave the Commerce Department 45 days to determine what transactions to block from the apps he deemed pose a national security threat. That deadline expires on Sunday.
Commerce Department officials said they were taking the extraordinary step because of the risks the apps’ data collection poses. China and the companies have denied U.S. user data is collected for spying.
Ross said in a written statement “we have taken significant action to combat China’s malicious collection of American citizens’ personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations.”
Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump to block U.S. downloads of TikTok, WeChat on Sunday - Zoomers eternally mad
- Thread starter Plunkie
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2013
Why do you think he won't do it after the election if he doesn't win? He's still got all the power for more than 2 months after that.
- Joined
- May 5, 2019
but then it would be with your consent.
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2017
True, but the Biden Administration would likely reverse that executive order as soon as he's sworn in.
A lot is riding on Trump winning a second term, since it gives him four years to actually get shit done since the GOP sat on their asses until the 2018 midterms and the Kavanaugh hearings forced them to wake up to how bad the Democrats really were.
Plus, a Trump win in spite of all the crazy bullshit that's been happening in 2020 is the kind of thing that will force the Democrat corporate establishment to clean house internally and subtly begin a shift of the narrative to win back the normies and calm them down for the next round of the "culture wars" and it could also blackpill the Woke Left or make them get desperate and do something so awful that not even the MSM would cover their asses.
As it is, I think the only reason why the MSM has been cutting them so much slack nowadays is because of the election this year.
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2019
The WeChat as a conversation app seems to be more widespread than just Chinese users as well. I know of people in the EU and Australia that use it as well.
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2018
Not everyone obviously, but Boomers and Ancaps? In my A&H? It is more likely than you think.
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2019
"Because this single action doesn't eliminate all of it all at once, we should never ever try to do anything to try to stop any of it!"
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2019
POTUS promised to Make America Great Again - promise kept.
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2017
Who remembers the Sony BMG rootkit debacle from fifteen or so years ago. Same difference, except Sony’s response was willfully ignorant and simultaneously hilarious. There’s outage now but everyone will forget about it and continue to consume.
Further reading for our zoomer friends
Further reading for our zoomer friends
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2018
I frankly don't care if some Chinese Americans (or Chinese spys) are inconvenienced for a while as their preferred communications app gets shuttered.
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2016
so you are just willing to sever family communications because "muh china"? willing to punish innocent people for their shitty government?
Plunkie
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2017
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2018
If it involves reducing the undue influence China has on my nation and the world, yes. I have no time for this "but muh principles" garbage when the enemy has none.
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- Oct 17, 2016
Sinophobia is a fucking disease
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- Jun 14, 2018
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- Oct 17, 2016
>me not demonizing and punish Chinese civilians is shilling the Chinese government
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Atatata
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2019
I'm going to miss seeing some of the cringe schizo shit that tiktok has provided, ngl.
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2018
Attention all Indian call center scammers, spyware must now be domestically-owned.
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2013
We get it, we get it, you're here to steal kiwifarm's intellectual property. Do you post anything that isn't just white knighting China?
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2016
I actually do retard, you could tell if you didnt just look at this one thread
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- Feb 3, 2013
Lol like Trump gives a shit when rich people don't pay taxes
Do you post anything that's not whiteknighting a 74 year old manchild?