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US President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly planning to take action on other Chinese apps which it has deemed a security risk, including the messaging app WeChat. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered his words in an interview with Fox News and said, “These Chinese software companies doing business in the United States, whether it’s TikTok or WeChat. They are feeding data directly to the Chinese Communist Party, their national security apparatus. It could be their facial recognition pattern. It could be information about their residence, their phone numbers, and friends, who they’re connected to. These are true national security issues”. It is noteworthy that WeChat has become a worldwide service in countries such as China but less famous in Western countries.

Point to be noted that the app uses photo sharing and payment method, as well as being a platform itself for ride-hailing apps, food delivery services, games, and more. WeChat has been reportedly receiving official guidance from the Chinese government, recently in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. The Citizen Lab claimed in March that the company was blocking terms shared on its platform, including Wuhan Unknown Pneumonia, Travel Ban, and People-to-People Transmission. The US showed concerns as China passed National Intelligence Law and it pressured private companies to help the Chinese government. The law requires organizations and citizens to assist and cooperate with the state intelligence work.

But, Chinese companies said they will not comply with such requests, but experts have suggested it may not be possible not to fulfill the demands. It is important that Trump administration and other worldwide governments have already been taking action against Chinese apps. TikTok is already under threat in the United States due to perceived national security concerns. Pompeo earlier said the app puts American users’ private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party. President Trump has suggested that the government is considering a ban. It is also possible the app TikTok will be purchased by a US company from Bytedance. It is still unclear how much information TikTok could pass to the Chinese government.