The United States’ Department of Commerce, on Friday, announced it would ban downloading of Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok and messaging app WeChat from all the app-stores.
“At the president’s direction, we have taken significant action to combat China’s malicious collection of American citizens’ personal data,” the US Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.
The ban would be applicable starting Sunday midnight. TikTok and WeChat — both the apps are used by over 100 million users in the United States.
In an attempt to render WeChat’s usages in the country, the Trump administration will also bar American companies from processing transactions for WeChat as well as hosting its internet traffic.
TikTok will also face similar restrictions from November 12 if it fails to prove that it is not a threat to US national security. The Commerce Department said the ban could be removed if TikTok resolves its issue before the deadline.
ByteDance, who owns TikTok, is currently in talks with Silicon Valley giant Oracle to have the company as their tech partner in the United States. According to reports, the deal suggests that TikTok would still be major owner of the app and would work with Oracle to resconstruct its US operations.
The deal follows Trump’s August 6 executive order which said TikTok shall either sell itself to a US company or be ready to face ban in the country.
The move has come after months of tumultuous situation between US and China as they continue to fight over several issue including trade war and Hong Kong’s security law.
According to a BBC report, TikTok has expressed its disappointment over Trump Administration’s decision, saying it had already embarked “unprecedented levels of additional transparency” in the backdrop of privacy concerns cited by the US President.
“We will continue to challenge the unjust executive order, which was enacted without due process and threatens to deprive the American people and small businesses across the US of a significant platform for both a voice and livelihoods,” the company said in a statement.
Tencent, who owns WeChat, said that the prohibitions are unfortunate, but they are willing to talk to the US government to resolve the issue.
While the government has ordered to ban the apps, the final decision will be takem by Apple and Google to remove the apps from their stores.
Apple and Google has not commented on the matter yet.