TikTok and WeChat was to be banned from American app stores from today following an executive order from Donald Trump, the BBC reports.
The Trump administration had claimed that the two Chinese companies pose a threat to national security and accused the two popular apps of passing data to China. This comes in the midst of the President’s larger crackdown on espionage, having recently revoked thousands of student visas from Chinese nationals and shut down one of Beijing’s consulates in Texas.
WeChat, a popular messaging and social media app, would have been effectively shut down from Sunday in the US. Viral video sharing platform TikTok was to no longer be available to download, but was to be accessible to users until the 12th of November.
TikTok criticised what they see as an ‘unjust’ ruling, claiming they have already been subjected to ‘unprecedented levels’ of scrutiny and security already.
However, an eleventh hour deal forged out in Silicon Valley has seemingly saved TikTok’s fate and has been declared a fantastic deal by President Trump.
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