US To Shut Down WeChat On September 20, Gives TikTok Until November 12 - Officials

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2020) The Trump administration will allow the Chinese video sharing platform TikTok to operate within the United States at least until November 12 and will shut down over the weekend another Chinese social media application called WeChat, senior US officials said on Friday.

"Our rule is not doing the same thing to TikTok as WeChat," Commerce Secretary Will Ross told Fox business network. "WeChat US, for all practical purposes, will be shut down. As for TikTok, it's just upgrades, maintenance ... things like that would be shut down at this stage. The real shutdown will come November 12, in the event that there is not another transaction."

Earlier on Friday, the Commerce Department said President Donald Trump's executive orders will effectively block US users from accessing both applications from September 20.

Meanwhie, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration will continue vetting a deal between TikTok and the US software company Oracle to determine if that will assuage Trump's concerns on the national security threat allegedly posed by TikTok.

"While we are reviewing the proposal trying to evaluate if it can successfully achieve those outcomes - that will be our measure - if it's the case we will allow private sector entities to move out - to execute a commercial transaction protecting the American people," Pompeo said.

The remarks by Ross and Pompeo came after weeks of negotiations involving TikTok and several US companies, including microsoft and Walmart, to work out a partnership that would satisfy the Trump administration's concerns on protecting the data of Americans using Chinese media applications.

Trump has accused the two apps of being tools of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and that US users could have their personal data stolen.

TikTok filed a lawsuit in US court last month to continue operating in the United States. TikTok said the Trump administration's action was without any prior outreach to the company to gave it a chance to respond to the accusations, and have been in violation of the US Constitution and the firm's right to due process.