Biden’s decision on TikTok and WeChat a welcome surprise
- Reversal of Trump-era ban on popular Chinese apps shows an understanding that the world would obviously be better off with globalisation and cooperation
Both had been considered national security risks and although suspicions have not gone away, the reprieve shows realisation of their benefits. Both are, after all, about communication and sharing and the door should never be shut on ways to improve global discussion and cooperation.
The order does not mean TikTok, an app for sharing short videos that is especially popular among younger smartphone users, and WeChat, software for text messaging, broadcasting and digital payments, will be free of scrutiny. Biden wants applications produced by firms in countries considered foreign adversaries to be reviewed to decide if they pose a risk to Americans.
Trump’s administration had accused both of being used by Beijing for spying on Americans through collecting personal data. Chinese cybersecurity laws require companies to be supervised by the government and pass on stored information as requested.
But no evidence of wrongdoing was ever provided; the apps’ owners, TikTok’s ByteDance and WeChat’s Tencent, denied the allegations. ByteDance stressed it would never violate the privacy of overseas users and that such data was stored on servers outside China.