TikTok and WeChat will see another day

Written By: Vivian Caniglia

On Saturday September 19th, the Commerce Department led by Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced a delay on the TikTok ban until September 27th, waiting to see if an American company named Oracle would purchase and control user data. In addition, the Northern California U.S. District Court called a preliminary injunction on the ban against the other Chinese social media app in danger, WeChat for its concern regarding free speech brought forth by app users.

The temporary injunction concerning free speech successfully halted the Trump administration’s WeChat ban, and prohibits a ban on TikTok regardless of the app’s possible purchase. The Federal Judge Laurel Beeler explained while security concerns took the forefront of the ban, it raises serious questions about First Amendment rights being harmed. 

Chinese americans use wechat to communicate with family across the globe

Both WeChat and Tik Tok are still available to download on mobile devices. The apps are being flagged for national privacy concerns.

On Sunday, September 20th, the Trump administration announced its tentative approval of the proposed partnership between Oracle and Walmart taking control of a portion of TikTok. Now, with Trump’s blessing, this partnership would keep TikTok on American’s cellphones. However, Trump remarked there are still concerns for security within the app. 

Oracle is an American computer technology corporation that sells computer software products. Together, the companies will create the entity, TikTok Global which will be headquartered in the United States. TikTok’s primary owner ByteDance will still maintain ownership of around 80% of the company while Oracle and Walmart will maintain around 20%, according to NPR. The new global agency will add an educational curriculum plan led by artificial intelligence. This program will include education on reading, history and more. Walmart additionally will work to make an online platform for purchasing products within the app. 

Losing the app WeChat, owned by the company Tencent Holdings, would be a blow to many Chinese Americans who use the platform to communicate with their families in abroad. Because WeChat can also be used as a payment app, allowing payment between friends and payment at businesses; think Venmo plus Apple Pay all rolled into one app that’s also a messaging service.

It is also used by people traveling for business between the US and China, as well as parents sending money to students traveling abroad. While the Oracle/Walmart partnership is not looking into purchasing the WeChat app, a federal judge did hear arguments from those fighting to block the ban, specifically on WeChat. According to the New York Times, the judge indicated that “she would decide whether to issue an injunction before the ban goes into effect”.

The Trump administration cited security concerns for the banning of TikTok, fearing it was collecting user data and sharing propaganda. The ACLU denounced the ban explaining it was attacking citizens rights and restricting users ability to communicate and conduct transactions (The Washington Post). It is also well known that the Trump administration was angered by TikTok in light of backlash received through users on the app. For example, a Trump rally’s attendance was damaged by users on TikTok who were requesting free tickets to fill seats and refusing to show. 

The app also has numerous users creating educational content on their own. In June, Tik Tok announced plans to create educational media within the platform. Those hired would create content extending from history to math. A social media manager from English Heritage, Martin Jeffries, explained that the app is excellent for youth. It provides the opportunity to explore stories from the LGBTQ+ community, Black history, women’s history and environmentalism (Iqbal for BBC, 2020). 

While the ban has been averted for TikTok and WeChat, its proposition still raises concern as the Trump administration attempted to make direct decisions concerning First Amendment rights. The ban provokes questions concerning censorship. Trump’s decision to create the ban is a hallmark in the administration’s history attempting to block or ban an app which has predominantly been seen in authoritarian countries such as China blocking Youtube, Facebook and more.