US bans Chinese apps WeChat and TikTok from Sept 20 citing national security

US Department of Commerce, on September 18, anunced prohibitions on transactions relating to Chinese apps WeChat and TikTok in a bid to safeguard national security. According to a press release, US will bar Americans from downloading both mobile applications from eir Apple or Google’s app storefronts starting on September 20. Commerce Department confirmed that new order will prohibit any provision of service to distribute or maintain WeChat or TikTok, constituent code or application updates through an online mobile application store in US. 

U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said, “Today’s actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from threats of Chinese Communist Party”. 

“At President’s direction, we have taken significant action to combat China’s malicious collection of American citizens’ personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based rms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations,” Ross added.

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press release read that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had demonstrated means and motives to use mobile applications to threaten national security, foreign policy, and ecomy of United States. Furr, it said that new prohibitions will help protect users in US by eliminating access to se applications and significantly reducing ir functionality. 

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Threats posed are ‘t identical, but similar’

US officials believe that threats posed by WeChat and TikTok are ‘t identical’, however, y are similar. Both mobile applications are believed to collect ‘vast swaths of data’ from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories. Department of Commerce said that Chinese-owned apps is an ‘active participant in China’s civil-military fusion’ and is subject to ‘mandatory cooperation with intelligence services of CCP’. 

ban could still be rescinded as US President Donald Trump has provided until vember 12 for national security concerns posed by TikTok to be resolved. US government also added that if WeChat’s or TikTok’s illicit behaviour is being replicated by ar app somehow outside scope of se executive orders, Trump has authority to consider wher additional orders may be appropriate to address such activities. 

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