- WeChat is another Chinese-owned messenger app that's risen data privacy concerns stateside.
- The order will not block companies from doing business with WeChat's owner, Tencent Holdings.
- Apple and Google will still be allowed to offer the apps outside of the U.S.
Worth noting: The Commerce Department's order would allow TikTok to continue operating through at least Nov. 12 for those who already have it downloaded.
- But, by blocking it from app stores, it would likely prevent any updates or security patches to the app after this weekend.
What they're saying: "While the threats posed by WeChat and TikTok are not identical, they are similar. Each collects vast swaths of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories," Commerce's order reads.
- "Each is an active participant in China’s civil-military fusion and is subject to mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP. This combination results in the use of WeChat and TikTok creating unacceptable risks to our national security."
The bottom line, via Axios' Scott Rosenberg: The move adds a new threat to the final stage of negotiations between ByteDance, Oracle, the U.S. and China. It's either a sign that the Trump administration intends to block the deal, or a last effort to squeeze more concessions from the Chinese company.
Go deeper:How the Oracle-TikTok deal would work
