U.S. to Ban TikTok Downloads, Use of WeChat on Sunday -- 2nd Update
September 18 2020 - 9:23AM
Dow Jones News
By Katy Stech Ferek
The Trump administration said Friday that it will ban downloads
of the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok and the U.S. use of
China's popular messaging and electronic payment app WeChat after
Sunday night over national security and data privacy concerns.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Fox Business Network that
his office will order a full ban for TikTok by Nov. 12 but noted
that discussions for a deal that would incorporate data safeguards
could enable U.S. users continued access of TikTok.
As of Sunday, TikTok users in the U.S. will be blocked from
maintenance and upgrades, according to a Commerce Department
release.
A TikTok spokeswoman and WeChat owner Tencent Holdings Ltd.
didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on the new
rules.
Commerce officials said the Chinese-owned apps pose similar
threats to Americans.
"Each collects vast swaths of data from users, including network
activity, location data, and browsing and search histories," the
Commerce Department said. "Each is an active participant in China's
civil-military fusion and is subject to mandatory cooperation with
the intelligence services of the CCP."
Mr. Ross said he made the decision after President Trump ordered
his department to review WeChat for national security concerns last
month.
"China has been taking all kinds of data...that's what we're
trying to squelch," he said.
As of Sunday, Commerce said it will block "any provision of
service to distribute or maintain the WeChat or TikTok mobile
applications, constituent code, or application updates through an
online mobile application store in the U.S." It will also block any
money transfers through the WeChat app.
On Thursday, a federal judge heard arguments from WeChat users
who sued to block the ban but didn't immediately issue a
ruling.
In a filing on that case Wednesday, Justice Department lawyers
said the government wouldn't pursue legal action against
individuals who use WeChat "to convey personal or business
information between users," a clarification plaintiffs said still
didn't make clear which specific activities would be barred.
WeChat bundles social media, text messages, mobile payments,
corporate marketing and other functions into one app. While
WeChat's users are primarily in China, the app is important among
the Chinese diaspora in the U.S. and is widely used by foreigners
with professional or personal ties in China.
WeChat and its domestic sister app Weixin have about 1.21
billion monthly active users combined. On an earnings call in
August, Tencent executives sought to distinguish the two apps and
allay investors' fears. The company generates less than 2% of
revenue from the U.S., a Tencent executive said at the time.
Write to Katy Stech Ferek at katherine.stech@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 18, 2020 09:08 ET (13:08 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Tencent (PK) (USOTC:TCEHY)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Tencent (PK) (USOTC:TCEHY)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024