Trump’s Clean Network could threaten American gamers’ favorite Chinese mobile titles
- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced plans to remove “untrusted” Chinese apps from US stores
- PUBG Mobile and other free-to-play Chinese games are among the most popular apps in the US
There aren’t many Chinese apps that are popular in the US. But the White House’s newly expanded Clean Network campaign is threatening the few that have earned American fans – many of them mobile games.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo unleashed a five-pronged plan aimed at curbing the influence of Chinese technology. As part of the new initiative, US app stores are urged to remove TikTok, WeChat and other “untrusted” Chinese apps.
“PRC apps threaten our privacy, proliferate viruses, and spread propaganda and disinformation,” the announcement reads, without elaborating on which apps constitute a threat beyond TikTok and WeChat. The vague wording suggests almost any app with ties to China could become a potential target of the Trump administration.
Among the apps that Americans spent the most money on this week, a few Chinese names stand out.
PUBG Mobile was one of the top 10 grossing iOS apps in the US on Thursday. The app from Shenzhen-based Tencent ranks ahead of American favourites like Disney+, Hulu, Twitch and Netflix. Tencent declined to comment on Thursday.