The Commerce Department has announced plans to restrict access to TikTok and WeChat on Sunday. The Department said on Friday that from Sunday, any moves to distribute or maintain WeChat or TikTok on an app store will be prohibited.
Users who have already downloaded the apps may be able to continue using the software, the restrictions mean updated versions of the apps cannot be downloaded. “The only real change as of Sunday night will be [TikTok users] won’t have access to improved apps, updated apps, upgraded apps or maintenance,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Friday morning on Fox Business.
The restrictions targeting WeChat are more extensive. Beginning Sunday, it will be illegal to host or transfer internet traffic associated with WeChat, the Department said in a press release. The same will be true for Tik as of Nov. 12, it said. (The Trump administration is currently weighing a proposal involving ByteDance, and Oracle, designed to resolve the administration’s national security concerns related to TikTok; the deadline for a deal is Nov. 12.)
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