Biden administration pauses pursuit of TikTok and WeChat
The Biden administration has paused the United States’ attempts to run TikTok and WeChat out of the country.
Former US president Donald Trump sought to expel both on grounds that they represent national security risks. TikTok was given an out if it could find a US entity willing to buy the service, then run it and store data on American soil. Oracle and Walmart teamed to do just that.
But lawsuits stopped both apps from being expelled or ceasing stateside operations. TikTok users won cases in which they argued that they made their living with the app, so withdrawing it was restraint of trade. TikTok’s parent company ByteDance sued too, successfully arguing that the ban on its app overstepped government authority. WeChat users argued that banning the app was an unreasonable hardship and won.
All the cases were ongoing, with parties required to file updates with the court this week.
The new administration’s updates press the pause button.
https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/12/biden_administration_pauses_pursuit_of/
