U.S. Judge Agrees To Delay The U.S. Government’s Imposed Restrictions On The Usage Of The Wechat App
Recent news has it that a federal judge has reportedly approved a request from a group of WeChat users to postpone the U.S. government restrictions that would effectively make the popular app almost impossible to use.
In a ruling dated Saturday, Laurel Beeler, the Magistrate Judge in California said that the government’s actions would thereby affect the users’ First Amendment rights as an effective ban on the app would remove their platform for communication.
WeChat which is owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent is a messaging focused popular app that is most used by Chinese-speaking Americans and serves as a lifeline to friends, customers, family, and other business contacts in China.
The request was made by a group of WeChat users after the U.S. Commerce Department declared on Friday that it would bar WeChat from the U.S. app stores and keep it restricted from accessing the essential internet services in the country, starting from Sunday at 11.59 pm.
The government further cited national security and data privacy concerns as the reasons behind taking action against WeChat and is also considering imposing similar restrictions on TikTok, which is another popular Chinese-owned app. However, the restrictions on TikTok have been pushed back by a week on Saturday, after President Donald Trump stated that he has reportedly proposed a deal that would make TikTok a U.S. company.
The WeChat users had argued that the move on restricting the use of the all-in-one app that comes with instant messaging, social media, and other communication tools would supposedly restrict free speech.
Meanwhile in the ruling, the court stated that a ban of WeChat would eliminate all the meaningful access to communication in the plaintiffs’ community and that an order would be in the public interest.
Previously the U.S. government had earlier argued that it is not intending to restrict free speech because the WeChat users are still being able to talk freely on alternative platforms that do not pose a national security threat.
According to Judge Beeler, there is specific evidence about WeChat that poses a national security threat, although they being modest.
The prevailing dispute over the two apps is the latest flashpoint in the rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies, as the Trump administration is currently attempting to counter the influence of China.
Since 2017, when Trump has taken charge of the office, he has waged a trade war with China and has blocked mergers involving Chinese companies, and stifled the business of Chinese firms like Huawei, who are the makers of phones and telecom equipment.
I am Darryl Broadhurst and i give investors an insight into the most recent news hitting the “Technology” sector in Wall Street. I have been an independent financial adviser for over 11 years in the city and in recent years turned my experience in finance and passion for journalism into a full time role. I perform analysis of Companies and publicizes valuable information for shareholder community.
