The US Government has been planning to ban TikTok for a while now and we have been hearing all about it. Now, taking another step into the decision, Donald Trump has issued an executive order that will ban the popular TikTok app, WeChat app, and more Chinese apps in the country. Read on to know more about it.
TikTok, WeChat ban in the US
The executive order bans any transaction between the US and the TikTok owner ByteDance. This also involves WeChat's Tencent that specifically restricts any business between the US and WeChat. The order will come into effect after 45 days, which is somewhere around September 15. September 15 is also the deadline for Microsoft to finalise the TikTok acquisition to possibly save the short video-sharing app from the US ban.
The order suggests that several Chinese apps threaten the US's "national security, foreign policy, and economy" and a this is in particular for the TikTok app. The app has been downloaded 175 million times in the US and steals users' data, which can let the Chinese Government access users' data. Apart from this, TikTok is accused of spreading misinformation.
Additionally, the decision has been taken "to deal with the national emergency with respect to the information and communications technology and services supply chain declared in Executive Order 13873 of May 15, 2019 (Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain)."
However, there is no word on how the ban on TikTok, WeChat and other Chinese apps will be executed in the US. This also puts the Microsoft-TikTok deal in question. If Microsoft succeeds in buying TikTok (it is now rumoured to buy all of the TikTok), we assume the order will stand ineffective for TikTok. However, its impact on other Chinese apps isn't known yet.
To recall, back in June, India banned TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps that harmed the security and privacy of the Indian users. The apps include CamScanner, Beauty Plus, Mi Community, UC Browser, and more. Following this, another set of 47 apps were banned such as Weibo, Baidu Search, Mi Browser Pro, and more. The app-ban spree seems to be continuing as the Indian Government is reviewing 275 apps including PUBG Mobile and could soon ban them too.
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