US President Donald Trump Signs Executive Order Banning TikTok In 45 Days

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Thursday to ban TikTok within 45 days. TikTok is a video sharing mobile application, operated by ByteDance Limited, which the Trump administration considered a national security threat on the basis that the app was collecting data that could  potentially be shared with the Chinese government.

The executive order says the US "must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security".

Trump says, "Additional steps must be taken to deal with the national emergency with respect to the information and communications technology and services supply chain".

He further added that "The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People's Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States."

The ban of TikTok in the US indirectly puts pressure on the Chinese-based firm to sell the app's US platform. Microsoft is apparently a leading bidder, and it is planning to seal a deal with TikTok which will be closely monitored by the administration of Trump.

Donald Trump signed another executive order on Thursday night, partially banning WeChat, a Chinese owned social media platform that facilitates messaging, social media, and payment transactions.

The executive order said that, "The United States must take aggressive action against the owner of WeChat to protect our national security."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted that, “We want to see untrusted Chinese apps removed from us app stores. President Trump has mentioned impending action on TikTok, and for good reason.”