TikTok And WeChat to Be Banned in the US Starting Sunday

Believe it or not, that TikTok ban that President Trump has spent months talking about is actually [...]

Believe it or not, that TikTok ban that President Trump has spent months talking about is actually happening this weekend. As of Sunday, both the TikTok and WeChat social media apps will become restricted across the United States. The President's executive order will take effect on September 20th, which will essentially remove the apps from the various app stores, prohibiting their distribution. CNN reached out to Apple and Google about the upcoming issue, but neither responded for comment.

It's important to remember that, just because the "ban" takes effect on Sunday, doesn't mean that you will have to stop using TikTok entirely. If you have the app downloaded to your phone, they will still function normally, and there is no issue with using them as you have been. Folks just won't be able to download the app once Sunday arrives, keeping the site from growing here in the US.

Once the ban goes into action, TikTok will no longer be able to be updated within the country, which could prove to be an issue sometime down the line. Restrictions on WeChat will be more elaborate, however. It will be illegal to "host or transfer Internet traffic associated with WeChat." The same will be true for TikTok beginning on November 12th. There could still be a deal made with ByteDance and Oracle between now and then, which would alleviate national security concerns and keep TikTok around.

"The only real change as of Sunday night will be [TikTok users] won't have access to improved apps, updated apps, upgraded apps, or app maintenance," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Fox Business. "Today's actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party. At the President's direction, we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations."

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