India has already banned hundreds of Chinese applications in the country, including TikTok, Aliexpress, and PUBG Mobile and now it seems that the United States could also go down the same path.
A new report from Reuters, citing people aware of the matter, claims that US President Joe Biden could sign an executive order aimed at safeguarding Americans’ sensitive data by forcing Chinese apps to take tougher measures to protect private information if they want to remain in the U.S. market.
It is said that the goal of such an order is to keep foreign adversaries like China and Russia from gaining access to large amounts of personal and proprietary business information.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Commerce may issue subpoenas to collect information about certain smartphone, tablet, and desktop computer software applications. The agency may negotiate conditions for their use in the United States or ban the apps.
While the new order has not named any companies, it could end up capturing more apps than the Trump administrator’s bans and hold up better if it is challenged in court. The government is concerned about China’s ability to track locations of government employees, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail and conduct corporate espionage.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will decide which apps to target for U.S. action, but they must meet certain criteria. The apps must be owned, controlled, or managed by a person or entity that supports the military or intelligence activities of a foreign adversary such as China or Russia.
After the app has been tagged by the Commerce Secretary as “posing an unacceptable risk”, it will be notified and then the company will have 30 days to object or propose measures to secure data.
Apps from China are most likely to find themselves in the Commerce Department’s crosshairs given escalating tensions between both the countries as well as the Chinese government’s ability to exert control over companies.
As per the people aware of the matter, the order will apply to business apps, including those used in banking and telecommunications, as well as consumer apps. Apps linked to other adversaries such as Iran or Venezuela are already blocked under broader sanctions.
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