Security News > 2020 > August > TikTok and WeChat: Chinese Apps Dogged by Security Fears
The United States has fired a new salvo in its rivalry with China, ordering sweeping restrictions against Chinese-owned social media stars TikTok and WeChat.
It belongs to Chinese tech firm ByteDance and targets the international market while Douyin, a domestic version of the platform, caters exclusively to Chinese users.
It attracted huge followings in the United States, Indonesia and other countries, but it recently became one of 59 Chinese mobile apps banned by India over national security and privacy concerns.
TikTok has in recent months sought to distance itself from its Chinese owners.
Trump previously set a deadline of mid-September for TikTok to be acquired by a US firm or be banned in the US. Microsoft has expanded its talks on TikTok to a potential deal that would include buying the global operations of the fast-growing app, the Financial Times reported Thursday.