US looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late on Monday that the United States is “certainly looking at” banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok.

“I don’t want to get out in front of the President (Donald Trump), but it’s something we’re looking at,” Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News.

Mike Pompeo also said the United States has to take a different path with regard to China as the previous policy of helping them open up their economy with the believe that this would lead to more political freedom has not worked, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, the popular video snippet-sharing app TikTok said it is stopping working in Hong Kong due to “recent events.” The move by TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, came as Facebook, Google and Twitter put a hold on requests by Hong Kong’s government or police force for information on users, following China’s imposition of a sweeping new security law.

On 29 June, the India government had announced a ban on 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok and WeChat. This was done in view of the information available that “they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order”. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had termed India’s decision to ban 59 Chinese apps a ‘digital strike’.

-Livemint