Topline
The Trump administration on Friday said it will ban Chinese-owned apps TikTok and WeChat from the App Store on Sunday, but you’ll still be able to use TikTok until November 12 if you already have it downloaded on your phone. What happens to WeChat is less clear. (Update: The restrictions on both TikTok and WeChat have been delayed.)
In this photo illustration the logo of Chinese media app for creating and sharing short videos ... [+]
Key Facts
TikTok owner ByteDance and WeChat owner Tencent won’t be able to push out app updates for existing users, even performance or security improvements that make the apps work properly.
The Trump administration won’t pursue a full ban on TikTok until November 12, giving officials time to approve a deal that potentially transfers U.S. operations of the short video app to Oracle and Walmart.
WeChat is more complicated: Friday’s order explicitly bans users from making payments or sending money to others through WeChat, as well as bars companies from providing the app with Internet hosting services, content delivery network services, and Internet transit or peering services in the U.S.
Even though the intent of the order is to effectively shut down WeChat, Ben Johnson, a former NSA cyber engineer and founder of Obsidian Security, told Forbes the app’s chat feature can still technically function without those services because users will still be able to reach WeChat servers from their devices.
WeChat would only stop working entirely in the U.S. if the government bans all traffic "going to the IP ranges for WeChat,” but that is not U.S. standard practice, Johnson said, and over time, the inability to update the app will likely cause its service to degrade.
WeChat owner Tencent said in a statement the company is talking to U.S. officials about a long-term solution “given our desire to provide ongoing services to our users in the U.S,” but did not provide any details explaining what the app will look like when the ban goes into effect on Sunday.
Crucial Quote
“As to TikTok, the only real change as of Sunday night will be that you won’t have access to improved apps, upgraded apps or maintenance. If that were to continue over a long period of time, there might be a gradual degradation of services. But the basic TikTok will stay intact until November 12,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in an interview on Fox Business.
Chief Critics
Security experts note the irony of the order, which is intended to protect national security and privacy, but may create an even bigger security risk by barring app updates.
“With the recent TikTok and WeChat restrictions, the primary security concern at the individual level will be the unavailability of security upgrades thus creating an even more vulnerable population of consumer smart devices,” Johnson said.
The ACLU also slammed the order, saying that “selectively banning entire platforms like TikTok and WeChat violates the First Amendment and does little to protect our personal data from abuse.”
Tangent
Users can theoretically bypass location-based restrictions with a VPN, a service that allows users to change their Internet traffic location to another country. But it’s unclear if Internet service providers could also block VPN traffic to TikTok and WeChat. “VPN” was briefly trending on Twitter after the ban was announced.
What’s Next
A U.S. judge may temporarily halt the WeChat ban as part of an ongoing lawsuit against the order, according to Bloomberg.
