ByteDance, owner of TikTok, has denied the app is being used to spy on Americans.
Washington:
The Trump administration faces ongoing legal battles after two legal setbacks in its efforts to prevent U.S. app stores from offering downloads of Chinese-owned TikTok or WeChat.
In two separate decisions, the judges questioned evidence that the Chinese government is accessing US user data endangering US national security, which prompted the extraordinary orders from the US Department of Commerce.
US District Judge Carl Nichols, who issued an order Sunday night blocking the TikTok download ban set at 11:59 pm Sunday, questioned government evidence.
“The government has provided ample evidence that China poses a significant threat to national security, although specific evidence of the threat posed by (TikTok), as well as whether bans are the only effective way to do so faced with this threat, remain less important “. Nichols wrote in a notice posted Monday.
In the WeChat case, Judge Laurel Beeler of California wrote that “on this case – while the government has determined that China’s activities raise significant national security concerns – he has provided little evidence that its effective ban on WeChat for all US users addresses these concerns. “
Beeler held a hearing on October 15 on the Justice Department’s request to reconsider its decision and allow the WeChat order to take effect immediately.
TikTok owner ByteDance and WeChat owner Tencent Holdings have denied the apps are being used to spy on Americans.
Nichols, a person appointed by Trump, anticipated further legal filings by the government and TikTok before a final decision on whether to block other restrictions set for November 12.
Nichols also rejected efforts by the Justice Department to invoke the Espionage Act, which allows for life imprisonment or the death penalty for those who share U.S. defense secrets.
“It is not plausible that the movies, photos, artwork, or even personal information that US users share on TikTok falls within the ordinary meaning of espionage law,” Nichols wrote.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
