NEW YORK: A US judge on Sunday blocked the government’s ban on WeChat downloads, hours before it had been thanks to become in an ongoing technology and espionage battle between Washington and Beijing.
The Trump administration had ordered a ban on downloads of the messaging platform WeChat also as hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok, both owned by Chinese companies. Both bans have now been suspended.
A California court ruling said it granted a “motion for a nationwide injunction against the implementation” of the govt order on WeChat, with the judge citing concerns over free speech. The order would have slowed WeChat down and made it unusable within the us for video chats with family and friends, consistent with experts.
Owned by technology giant TenCent, WeChat has around 19 million active daily users within the US.
As President Donald Trump seeks a breakthrough with voters to win a second term within the November 3 election, he has increasingly put national security and his aggressive stance towards China at the centre of his campaign.
He regularly accuses Democratic opponent Joe Biden of weakness towards Beijing.
The president said on Saturday that he had approved a deal allowing Silicon Valley giant Oracle to become data partner for TikTok to avert a shutdown of that app.
The deal, announced by the businesses , includes Walmart as a billboard partner and would create a replacement US company named TikTok Global.
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