TikTok is reportedly about to be yanked from app stores in the United States.
President Trump last month ordered ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, to sell its U.S. operations or face a ban due to national security concerns, and on Friday, the Financial Times and Reuters reported that the Commerce Department is issuing an order to ban TikTok from app stores in the U.S. and prevent Americans from being able to download it. Downloads of the Chinese-owned WeChat are also set to be banned, and the orders will reportedly go into effect on Sept. 20.
A senior Commerce Department official told Reuters that the order will "deplatform" TikTok and WeChat in the U.S., banning app stores such as Apple's and Google's from offering them on a platform "that can be reached from within the United States." Those in the U.S. who have TikTok downloaded will reportedly still be able to access it, but the "experience would degrade over the next two months unless a deal" is approved, the Financial Times says.
The Commerce Department said this step would "protect users in the U.S. by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality."
ByteDance has been in talks with Oracle as Trump's sale deadline loomed, and NBC News reported on Thursday that Bytedance, reportedly accepting terms from the Treasury Department, reached a deal that would see Oracle "taking responsibility for its U.S. operations and user data." However, Trump and officials in China still needed to approve.