WASHINGTON: The United States ordered a ban on downloads of popular video app TikTok and blocked the use of the Chinese super-app WeChat on national security grounds.
Under the order, WeChat app will stop functioning in the United States from Sunday, while TikTok users will be banned from installing updates but could access the service till 12th November.
The timeframe allows for a deal between TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, and a US company to safeguard data for the wildly popular app to allay security concerns.
US officials described the measures as essential to national security as President Donald Trump confronts China amid a tough re-election campaign.
“The Chinese Communist Party has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the US,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.
Trump has claimed that Chinese tech could be used for spying. China’s Commerce Ministry condemned what it called US “bullying” violating international trade norms without providing any evidence of a security threat.
“If the US insists on going its own way, China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” it said. TikTok denounced the order and said it would continue to fight the Trump administration’s crackdown in court.
The moves would effectively disable US use of WeChat and TikTok from the online marketplaces operated by Apple and Google. After Sunday, services on WeChat will be degraded because of restrictions on US digital services that support the app
The existing TikTok users will be able to continue using the app until November 12 when it would also face a full ban on its US operations if no deal is reached.
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