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TECHNOLOGY Saturday 19 September 2020

U.S. bans WeChat, TikTok from app stores, threatens shutdowns

By TALI ARBEL, MATT O'BRIEN users with criminal or civil
and MATT OTT penalties for using the app
AP Technology Writers for messaging.
The U.S. Commerce De- WeChat users could bypass
partment said Friday it will the Commerce Depart-
ban Chinese-owned TikTok ment's technical provisions
and WeChat from U.S. app using a virtual private net-
stores on Sunday and will work, or VPN, said Gregory
bar the apps from access- Touhill, an adjunct faculty
ing essential internet servic- member at Carnegie Mel-
es in the U.S. — a move that lon and a former chief in-
could effectively wreck the formation security officer of
operation of both Chinese the U.S.
services for U.S. users. Like most social networks,
TikTok won't face the most TikTok collects user data
drastic sanctions until af- and moderates users' posts.
ter the Nov. 3 election, but It grabs users' locations and
WeChat users could feel messages and tracks what
the effects as early as Sun- they watch to figure out
day. how best to target ads to
The order, which cited na- them.
tional security and data Similar concerns apply to
privacy concerns, follows U.S.-based social networks
weeks of dealmaking over such as Facebook and
the video-sharing service Twitter, but Chinese owner-
TikTok. President Donald ship adds an extra wrinkle
Trump has pressured the because the Chinese gov-
app's Chinese owner to sell Icons for the smartphone apps TikTok and WeChat are seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, in ernment could demand
TikTok's U.S. operations to a a Friday, Aug. 7, 2020 file photo. cooperation from Chinese
domestic company to sat- Associated Press companies. The adminis-
isfy U.S. concerns over Tik- tration, however, has pro-
Tok's data collection and ment and look for long- can do in China. be trusted and not a friend- vided no specific evidence
related issues. term solutions. The order requires WeChat, ly place for business." Users, that TikTok has made U.S.
California tech giant Ora- Google and Apple, the which has millions of U.S. meanwhile, face a security users' data available to
cle recently struck a deal owners of the major mobile users who rely on the app "nightmare" because they the Chinese government.
with TikTok along those app stores, did not imme- to stay in touch and con- won't be able to get app Some cybersecurity ex-
lines, although details re- diately reply to questions. duct business with people updates that fix bugs and perts question whether the
main foggy and the ad- Oracle also did not reply. and companies in China, security vulnerabilities, he administration's efforts are
ministration is still reviewing "At the President's direc- to end payments through said. more political than root-
it. White House press secre- tion, we have taken signifi- its service as of Sunday The technical measures are ed in legitimate concerns
tary Kayleigh McEnany said cant action to combat Chi- and prohibits it from get- "enforceable, the question about Chinese threats to
on Fox Business Network Fri- na's malicious collection of ting technical services from is whether they are legal," data security.
day said the administration American citizens' personal vendors that could seriously said the Center for Strate- "If there are direct national
is still "negotiating and look- data, while promoting our impact its functions. gic and International Stud- security threats, that infor-
ing at the proposal." national values, democrat- Similar technical limitations ies' Lewis, likening them to mation should be shared
The new order puts pres- ic rules-based norms, and for TikTok don't go into ef- a U.S. version of China's with the U.S. population,"
sure on TikTok's owner, aggressive enforcement of fect until Nov. 12, shortly "Great Firewall," which cen- said David Kennedy, CEO
ByteDance, to make fur- U.S. laws and regulations," after the U.S. election. Ross sors its domestic internet. of cybersecurity firm Trust-
ther concessions, said Commerce Secretary Wil- said early Friday on Fox Busi- He said there could be edSec, before the Com-
James Lewis of the Center bur Ross said in a prepared ness Network that access a First Amendment chal- merce Department's regu-
for Strategic and Interna- statement. to that app may be pos- lenge. lations were announced.
tional Studies. Trump said The action is the Trump ad- sible if certain safeguards WeChat users have sued "We're not taking about
this week that he does not ministration's latest attempt are put into place. to stop the ban, and a what needs to happen
like the idea of ByteDance to counter the influence of TikTok says it has 100 million federal judge in California policy-wise, we're trying to
keeping majority control of China, a rising economic U.S. users and 700 million appeared sympathetic to hack this together to hurt
TikTok. superpower. Since taking globally. WeChat users in a hearing China."
TikTok expressed "disap- office in 2017, Trump has Nicholas Weaver, a com- Thursday, but did not issue TikTok says it does not store
pointment" over the move waged a trade war with puter science lecturer at an injunction against the U.S. user data in China and
and said it would continue China, blocked mergers UC Berkeley, said the ac- government. The Justice that it would not give user
to challenge President Don- involving Chinese compa- tions taking effect Sunday Department had said in a data to the government,
ald Trump's "unjust execu- nies and stifled the busi- are short-sighted and sug- filing in that case that they and does not censor videos
tive order." The Commerce ness of Chinese firms like gest that "the U.S. is not to would not target WeChat per dictates from China.q
Department is enacting Huawei, a maker of phones
an order announced by and telecom equipment.
President Donald Trump in China-backed hackers,
August. TikTok sued to stop meanwhile, have been
that ban. blamed for data breaches
WeChat owner Tencent of U.S. federal databases
said in an emailed state- and the credit agency
ment that it will continue Equifax, and the Chinese
to discuss ways to address government strictly limits
concerns with the govern- what U.S. tech companies