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China’s Tencent rebrands WeChat work app ahead of US ban
- Newly named WeCom app does not fall under the scope of a ban on WeChat-related transactions in the US, sources say
- WeChat is widely used by Chinese expats and others in the US to communicate with friends and associates at home.
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Chinese tech giant Tencent has changed the name of its WeChat Work office collaboration app to WeCom, setting it up as a potential alternative to its messaging app WeChat ahead of a US ban.
Tencent registered the WeCom trademark on August 19, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Two Tencent sources said WeCom did not fall under the scope of a ban on WeChat-related transactions in the US from Sunday, one of a series of US measures cracking down on Chinese tech firms and apps that Washington says are threats to national security.
Tencent declined to comment.
WeChat is widely used by Chinese expats and others in the US to communicate with friends and associates at home. It has an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, according to analytics firm Apptopia.
After downloading WeCom, users can link their WeChat account to it and add their WeChat contacts, a Reuters test showed. WeCom users can then message, create chat groups, and even receive virtual money from WeChat friends without their WeChat contacts having to download WeCom.
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