TikTok, WeChat security threat has yet to be proven, judges say

Two US federal judges have ruled this month that the Trump administration failed to prove TikTok and WeChat pose enough of a national security threat to justify a US ban. — Reuters

Two US federal judges have ruled this month that the Trump administration failed to prove Chinese-owned apps used by millions of Americans pose enough of a national security threat to justify a US ban.

US District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington said in a court filing on Sept 28 that he blocked a ban on new downloads of ByteDance Ltd’s TikTok because the government has likely overstepped its authority under the emergency-powers law it invoked to justify the prohibition. On Sept 19, US Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in San Francisco blocked a similar ban on Tencent Holding Ltd’s WeChat.