US-China Tech war: TikToK, WeChat remain in Washington’s crosshairs after Biden revokes Trump’s orders
- Joe Biden’s new executive order directed the US Commerce Department to assess, in the following six months, any apps associated with foreign adversaries
- The department will provide recommendations of actions needed to address the risks found at the end of the assessment
“TikTok and WeChat are still in the crosshairs of the US government,” said Abishur Prakash, from Toronto-based consulting firm the Centre for Innovating the Future. “Depending on what the US finds, new action could be taken.”
Biden’s new executive order directed the US Commerce Department to assess, in the following six months, any apps associated with foreign adversaries of their potential national security implications and how American personal data is used.
The Commerce Department was asked to provide recommendations of actions needed to address the risks found at the end of the assessment. The agency was also directed to evaluate, on a continuing basis, transactions by software applications that may pose a risk for information and communication technology and services to operate properly in the US.
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US President Joe Biden drops Donald Trump orders seeking ban on China’s TikTok, WeChat
At a press conference on Thursday, China’s Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said Biden’s decision to cancel the Trump administration’s orders was “a positive step in the right direction”.