Daily Management Review

Downloading Of TikTok And WeChat To Be Banned In US Starting Sunday


09/18/2020




Downloading Of TikTok And WeChat To Be Banned In US Starting Sunday
Starting this Sunday, Americans will no longer be able to down load the Chinese short video sharing app TikTok and the Chinese messaging app WeChat. 
 
According to an order issued by the United States Commerce Department on Friday, no one in the country will be allowed to download the Chinese-owned video sharing app and messaging app according to the decision of the Trump administration, as the apps would be banned from being listed in US app stores.
 
While those Americans who already have the apps on their smartphones will be able to continue to use TikTok without access to any updates, the use of WeChat will effectively stop starting Sunday.
 
A grace period has been granted to TikTok, which has become very popular video app especially among the younger Americans. The company has until November 12 till a complete shutdown of the app in the US. This is to allow the Chinese owner of TikTok – ByteDancem to continue with negotiations with American companies for a sale of any other form of a deal for the app.
 
Oracle and Walmart are both front runners in purchasing the app after ByteDance informed another suitor Microsoft last week that it would not be selling the app to it.
 
American users of TikTok will not see any ‘major difference' in the app's performance until November 12, said reports quoting US officials.
 
“WeChat is essentially a funds transfer and payment processing mechanism. For all practical purposes, it will be shut down in the U.S., but only in the U.S., as of midnight on Monday,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in an interview to Fox Business on Friday morning.
 
“So as to TikTok, the only real change as of Sunday night will be - won't have access to improved apps, updated apps, upgraded apps, or maintenance. So if that were to continue over a long period of time there might be a gradual degradation of services. But the basic TikTok will stay intact until November 12th,” Ross said.
 
The US government could lift that deadline is if a deal for the sale of TikTok is achieved, it not the app will be completely banned.
 
“If there's not a deal by November 12th under the provisions of the old order, then TikTok also would be, for all practical purposes shut down,” Ross said.
 
Negotiations between ByteDance and several American suitors of the app including Oracle have been undergoing. One of the solutions being worked upon with Oracle is eh creation of a new company, according to reports quoting sources, which is supposed to be called TikTok Global. The aim of such a move is to address US concerns about the security of its users' data of the app.
 
Any deal for TikTok has to be approved the US President Donald Trump.
 
However according to the latest order from the US Commerce Department, the TikTok and WeChat apps will be 'deplatformed' in the United States and will not be included in Apple Inc's app store, Alphabet Inc's Google Play and any other platforms 'that can be reached from within the United States.'
 
“Today's actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party,” Ross said in a statement.
 
(Source:www.dailymail.co.uk)