ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Donald Trump's administration is studying the national security risks of social media applications including TikTok and WeChat, with action to address the issue expected in the coming weeks, a White House official said on Wednesday. "There are a number of ... administration officials who are looking at the national security risk as it relates to TikTok, WeChat and other apps that have the potential for national security exposure, specifically as it relates to the gathering of information on American citizens by a foreign adversary," White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters en route to Washington from Georgia. "I don't know that there's any self-imposed deadline in terms of action, but I would say that we're looking at weeks, not months," he added. TikTok defended its security practices in a statement, saying: "We are fully committed to protecting our users' privacy and security.

Source: International New York Times July 15, 2020 22:45 UTC