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Biden revokes Trump's TikTok ban, orders new review

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Biden has revoked a Trump order attempting to ban Chinese-linked apps like TikTok, but replaced it with a national security review that could lead to further actions.

Image: TikTok

President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued an order revoking the Trump administration's stalled efforts to curtail Chinese-linked apps like TikTok and WeChat in the U.S., while instituting a review of the security implications of apps tied to foreign adversaries, according to several reports.

Trump had tried to essentially ban the apps, but courts had blocked the efforts. The White House is attempting to put a more legally rigorous process in place, according to the reports.

The apps will now be subject to the Biden order's reviews, however, and they could face additional orders over national security concerns.

TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance, is still the subject of a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, according to Axios.

Last week, Biden signed an order banning investment in Chinese defense and surveillance firms such as telecom equipment firm Huawei in a revision of a Trump-era effort to stop similar investment in firms controlled by the Chinese military. That latter order had also faced legal challenges and confusion over its scope.

Ben Brody

Ben Brody (@ BenBrodyDC) is a senior reporter at Protocol focusing on how Congress, courts and agencies affect the online world we live in. He formerly covered tech policy and lobbying (including antitrust, Section 230 and privacy) at Bloomberg News, where he previously reported on the influence industry, government ethics and the 2016 presidential election. Before that, Ben covered business news at CNNMoney and AdAge, and all manner of stories in and around New York. He still loves appearing on the New York news radio he grew up with.

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