The United States bans TikTok. The Department of Commerce has announced that as of Sunday, September 20, downloads of TikTok and WeChat will be prohibited in the North American country. It comes days after Oracle announced its agreement to become TikTok’s ‘trusted technology provider’ in the US.
The announcement of the ban on TikTok and WeChat follows the executive order issued in early August giving TikTok 45 days to sell its business to a US company. It is unclear to what extent the new lockdown announcement from Sunday is yet another move by the Trump administration to push for a deal.
Forbidden to download or update TikTok
The motivation of the Department of Commerce is to “safeguard the national security of the United States,” as they explain in a statement.
The ban will affect both TikTok and WeChat, although they report that the “threats posed are not identical”. However, they are “similar, as they collect much user data, including network activity, location data, and browsing histories.
Starting this Sunday, September 20, the following transactions will be prohibited in the US:
- “Any provision of service to distribute or maintain the WeChat or TikTok mobile applications, constituent code or application updates through an online mobile application store in the US.”
- “Any provision of services through the WeChat mobile application to transfer funds or process payments within the US.”
In other words, as of this Sunday, application stores such as Google Play or the App Store must eliminate TikTok to prevent downloads or updates. Although nothing is specified about its current use, users should be able to continue using TikTok. Of course, without updates. In the case of WeChat, users cannot make payments.
Additionally, as of September 20 for WeChat and as of November 12 for TikTok, any provision of Internet hosting services, network services to allow its operation, contracted provision of Internet transit, and any use of the constitutional code developed in the USA.
Until November 12, Donald Trump will allow TikTok’s “national security concerns to be resolved,” if so, “they may lift the bans on this order.” From this Sunday, the download of TikTok and WeChat will be prohibited in the United States.
Sharlene Meriel is an avid gamer with a knack for technology. He has been writing about the latest technologies for the past 5 years. His contribution in technology journalism has been noteworthy. He is also a day trader with interest in the Forex market.
