September 19, 2020

Q&A: What does banning TikTok and WeChat mean for users?

Featuring: Elsa B. Kania

Source: The Associated Press

Journalists: Matt O'Brien, Tali Arbel

The U.S. government is cracking down on the Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat, starting by barring them from app stores on Sunday.

President Donald Trump has cited concerns about Chinese government snooping as his administration prepares to follow through on executive orders that could make it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for Americans to use the apps.

Trump has also floated a potential way out, at least for TikTok, which on Friday he called an “amazing company” that is “very, very popular.”

Here are some questions and answers about the deal.

Read the full story and more from The Associated Press.

Author

  • Elsa B. Kania

    Adjunct Senior Fellow, Technology and National Security Program

    Elsa B. Kania is an Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. Her research focuses on Chinese military...