U.S. Lifts Ban on TikTok

The U.S. is officially lifting the ban on a series of Chinese apps that was first initiated by the Trump administration. President Joe Biden has issued an executive order to dismantle his predecessor’s efforts to bar apps like TikTok, WeChat and eight other communication and fintech apps linked to China.

CNN reports that Biden has made a new request to the Commerce Department to conduct and evaluate possible security risks for Americans and the U.S. The order essentially covers apps that are “owned, controlled, or managed by persons that support foreign adversary military or intelligence activities, or are involved in malicious cyber activities, or involve applications that collect sensitive personal data.” Though he has national security concerns regarding Chinese-made mobile apps, Biden has chosen not to direct the issues at particular companies.

The White House said in a statement, “The Biden Administration is committed to promoting an open, interoperable, reliable and secure Internet; protecting human rights online and offline; and supporting a vibrant, global digital economy. Certain countries, including the People’s Republic of China (PRC), do not share these values and seek to leverage digital technologies and Americans’ data in ways that present unacceptable national security risks while advancing authoritarian controls and interests.”

Last August, then-President Trump issued an executive order that barred U.S. companies in doing business with ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. He also tried to ban it from appearing in the U.S. app stores. Similarly, Trump signed an executive order regarding WeChat during his tenure as well.

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