The Trump administration will ban WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok from U.S. app stores starting Sunday night, a move that will block Americans from downloading the Chinese-owned platforms over concerns they pose a national security threat. Existing TikTok users, on the other hand, will see little change until Nov. 12 when a ban on some technical transactions will kick in, affecting its functionality. WeChat has had an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, analytics firms Apptopia said in early August. Commerce will not penalize people who use TikTok or WeChat in the United States. The order does not bar data storage within the United States for WeChat or TikTok.

Source: Standard Digital September 18, 2020 15:56 UTC