Joe Biden has decided to revoke by decree the decision to ban the platforms TikTok, WeChat and eight other applications.
The new executive order seeks to identify all "connected software applications that may pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States and the American people."
US President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he has revoked and replaced decrees issued by his predecessor Donald Trump to ban TikTok, WeChat and eight other applications.
Instead, it calls for a broad investigation into the risks posed by internet applications owned by certain foreign powers.
Executive Order Amendment to Trump's Decisions
The new executive order seeks to identify all "connected software applications that may pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States and the American people," including "applications owned, controlled or managed by individuals who support military activities or intelligence from another country, or are involved in malicious cyber activities, or involve applications that collect sensitive personal data. "
It calls on the Commerce Department and other federal agencies to develop guidelines "to protect sensitive personal data ... including personally identifiable information and genetic information" from abuse.
Donald Trump claimed Chinese-owned apps posed risks to US national security and sought to force the sale of TikTok to US investors.
Companies deny accusations
He accused WeChat, a platform ubiquitous in the lives of Chinese through its messaging, remote payments or reservations services, and TikTok, an application of short videos particularly popular among young people, of collecting confidential data, before sharing it. with Beijing. These companies have always refuted these accusations of espionage.
A legal battle ensued. At the end of December, the Trump administration appealed a court ruling preventing the Commerce Department from imposing restrictions on TikTok, which would have resulted in the ban of the social network in the United States. But in February, the Biden administration asked the Court of Appeals to give it 60 days to study the case and rule on whether or not to uphold the Trump administration's request.