Biden Frees TikTok Until WeChat Operates In America

Illustration (Image Credit: Solen Feyissa / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The creative video application TikTok has finally been freed from the ban on operating in the United States (US). Following President Joe Biden's decision to revoke and replace various executive orders made by former President Donald Trump.

Summarized from ZDNet, Thursday June 10, not only TikTok, applications such as AliPay, CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate, WeChat, WeChat Pay, and WPS Office have also been granted permission to operate in US app stores.

It was previously known that while in office Trump labeled Chinese applications as a national security threat in relation to information and communication technology, and service supply chains.

The Trump administration ordered that TikTok be banned unless it was divested into a US company. After months of negotiations following Trump's orders, TikTok reached a preliminary agreement to sell it to Oracle and Walmart.

However, the deal was later suspended indefinitely after Biden took office. While TikTok is no longer banned, the executive order also does not address the potential sale of the app, but will be reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US.

However, Biden also set new criteria that the Commerce Department should use to review whether applications related to foreign adversaries pose an unacceptable risk.

As for the criteria, whether the application is owned, controlled, or managed by people who support military or intelligence activities of foreign enemies, or engage in malicious cyber activities, and involve applications that collect sensitive personal data.

Biden's executive order also directs the Commerce Department to work with other agencies to provide recommendations to protect US consumer data from foreign adversaries, as well as make recommendations for additional executive and legislative action. This is to further address the risks associated with software applications linked to foreign adversaries.