Donald Trump, Chinese apps and the real danger to democracy
The decision by President Trump to ban downloads of the Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat apps from the app stores starting today sets a precedent in the United States, although other countries, notably China, have taken such steps.
Although we’re talking about two Chinese-owned companies, the consequences of the White House’s move will be very different: TikTok is a video-sharing app used mainly by children and young people, and its banning will affect the US market, arguably impacting on the upcoming elections there — which is why a final decision has been postponed until after the November polls — ,WeChat is a super-app that plays a fundamental role for anyone who has regular contact with China.
What China does with the information from citizens of other countries it captures from apps like TikTok may be a concern, but for the Chinese, wherever they live, WeChat is everything: messaging, phone, payments, identity, and a portfolio of one million mini-programs, half the size of Apple’s App Store, which are used regularly by some two hundred million people. In China or for the Chinese, everything goes through WeChat.
Make no mistake, there will be consequences: the Chinese government is already finalizing a list of foreign-owned apps it will ban, using the same accusation of endangering the…
