US judge temporarily suspends WeChat and TikTok Ban
A US judge recently halted Trump's administration on banning the download of two popular Chinese-owned apps—WeChat and TikTok.
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| Two apps facing security threats issue |
The US-China tech battle still continues
The Trump administration had ordered a ban on downloads of the messaging platform WeChat as well as the hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok. The Commerce Department even had a plan to restrict access to these said applications.
Users who have already downloaded the apps may be able to continue using the software. But, the restrictions mean updated versions of the apps cannot be downloaded.
The department stated that any moves to distribute or maintain WeChat or TikTok on an app store will be prohibited. Apple and Google didn't immediately comment on the issue. However, hours before those bans take effect, a judge blocked them.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in San Francisco said cited concerns over free speech. The California court ruling said it granted a "motion for a nationwide injunction against the implementation" of the government order.
Her 22-page order included the prohibitions “burden substantially more speech than is necessary to serve the government’s significant interest in national security, especially given the lack of substitute channels for communication.”
Her 22-page order included the prohibitions “burden substantially more speech than is necessary to serve the government’s significant interest in national security, especially given the lack of substitute channels for communication.”
Under the technology giant Tencent, WeChat has around 19 million active daily users in the country. It is famous among Chinese students, Americans living in China and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China. Experts said that banning the app download would have made it unusable for video chats with family and friends.
As for TikTok, President Trump had already approved TikTok operating in the U.S. if Silicon Valley giant, Oracle, will be its data partner. So the Department of Commerce is postponing the ban on TikTok downloads until September 27.
The US Treasury announced the ByteDance still needs to finalize the deal with the involved companies, After that, it is still for the approval of a federal national security committee.
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