The Commerce Department said Friday it will ban Chinese mobile apps TikTok and WeChat from mobile app stores in the U.S. starting Sunday night, taking the first steps to enforce an executive order President Donald Trump signed last month as part of a crackdown on Chinese technology companies.
The Trump administration and TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, are negotiating a possible reprieve for the video-sharing app that would involve, among other provisions, taking on American investors and moving its global headquarters to the U.S. A deal is expected as soon as Friday.
Existing users will still be able to access TikTok after Sunday, though new downloads and upgrades of the app will be prohibited, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Friday. TikTok could be shut down fully if it does note strike a deal to stay alive with the administration before Nov. 12.
The Commerce Department imposed additional restrictions on messaging app WeChat that also kick in Sunday. The rules would prohibit WeChat's users from transferring funds or processing payments in the U.S. The other rules would ban WeChat from using internet hosting services, content delivery services or other technologies necessary for the app to function.
Many of those same limitations would hit TikTok on Nov. 12. Trump has signed a secondary executive order that gives that company more time to line up an American buyer.
The Commerce Department noted that both apps collect location data, network activity, browsing history and other information about its U.S. users, as is common for social media apps, but as Chinese companies they could be compelled to turn over the information to China's intelligence services.
"This combination results in the use of WeChat and TikTok creating unacceptable risks to our national security," the department said.