The U.S. will ban the download of the Chinese app Tik Tok and WeChat on Sunday, citing national security and data privacy concerns, with a total ban on the use of the latter.
Tik Tok will be banned’ from use tomorrow,
November 12, but Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told the Fox Business Network
early Friday that access to the app could be possible if certain security
measures are in place.
"At the direction of the President,
we are committed to the collection of personal data of US citizens, including
the promotion of our national values, principles based on democratic
principles, and aggressive enforcement of US laws and regulations." Has
taken significant action against. “Statement
The government said its order, previously
announced by President Donald Trump in August, "will not retaliate against
China for collecting personal data on US citizens."
The government order also raises questions
about the recent deal with California tech giant Oracle to handle US tik-tok
operations, a request from the Trump administration to keep it operating in the
United States.
The details of the Oracle Tik Tok deal
were excellent. Oracle was among the pool of bidders to buy the US Tik process,
including Microsoft and Walmart.
Oracle, confirming that it was the winning
bidder Monday, did not call the deal a sale or acquisition, but instead called
it a "trusted technology provider" of Tik Tok. Has been selected as
It is not yet clear what assets Oracle
will actually acquire.
Some security experts have raised concerns
that Beck Dance Limited, a Chinese company that owns Tik Tok, will maintain
access to information about 100 million Tik Tok users in the United States,
posing a security risk.
Like most social networks, Tik Tok
collects user data and moderates user posts. It captures users' locations and
messages, and what they see shows how much they need to improve their ads.
Similar concerns apply to US-based social
networks such as Facebook and Twitter, but Chinese ownership adds another
dimension as the Chinese government may order companies to help gather
intelligence.
Tik Tok says it does not store US user
data in China and does not provide user data to the government. However,
experts say the Chinese government can get any information it wants from
companies there.
The move is the latest in a series of
attempts by the Trump administration to reduce its influence in China, a growing
economic power. Since taking office in 2017, Trump has fought a trade war with
China, blocked mergers with Chinese companies and halted the business of
Chinese companies such as Huawei, which makes phone and telecom equipment.
Meanwhile, Chinese-backed hackers have been accused’ of violating data from the
US Federal Database and credit agency Equifax, and the Chinese government has
strictly banned what US tech companies can do in China.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers'
concerns about Tik Tok include censorship and misinformation, and protection of
user data and children's privacy. But the administration has not provided any
specific evidence that Tik Tok has made US consumer data available to the
Chinese government.
Officials point to a fictitious threat
that lies in the Chinese government's ability to seek cooperation from Chinese
companies.
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