U.S. Government Considering Banning Popular Chinese Apps Due to Security Concerns

Published July 7, 2020

The United States government has been considering a ban on many social media apps owned or developed by Chinese companies due to possible security threats. One of the most popular of these apps is TikTok. TikTok is a social video sharing platform by ByteDance, a company based in the China capital Beijing.

One of the reasons for the consideration of a ban is because some U.S. lawmakers believe that the Chinese Communist Party could pressure TikTok and other apps into handing over private data about Americans. The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said “We are taking this very seriously. We are certainly looking at it. With respect to Chinese apps on peoples’ cellphones, the United States will get this one right too.”

TikTok responded to Secretary Popeo in a statement, writing “TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the U.S. We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked.”

Other popular apps owned, partially owned, or developed by Chinese companies include:

• AppLock
• Battle of Empires
• Clash of Clans
• Clash of Kings
• Game of Sultans
• League of Legends
• Mafia City
• Mobile Legends
• NewsDog
• PUBG Mobile
• Rise of Civilizations

As of October 2019, China’s largest tech conglomerate Tencent also owned a partial stake in the following companies that produce may games and apps popular in the U.S.:

• Activision Blizzard, developer of the popular games Overwatch, Candy Crush Saga, multiple versions of Call of Duty, and many others.
• Bluehole, the creator of the popular multi-platform game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, also known as PUBG. Tencent also owns the mobile app.
• Discord, a free instant messaging and Voice Over IP application popularly used by businesses, gamers, and those in education.
• Epic Games, creator of the popular multi-platform game Fortnight.
• Ubisoft, creator of versions of Rainbow Six, Far Cry, Splinter Cell, Assassin’s Creed, and several other popular games.

Note: Not all apps or companies mentioned in this article have been found to pose security threats.