Breaking News: The Trump administration will ban TikTok and WeChat from American app stores. The services are used by more than 100 million people in the U.S.

Big news for anyone involved w/ China: Trump moves ahead w/ ban on WeChat and TikTok, the popular Chinese apps. US officials say WeChat will be inoperational in US by Monday. This will force Americans & Chinese to look for other communications channels.

This tiktok ban will effectively cut off US users from receiving security updates

.@WilburRoss ‘portrayed the threat from Chinese #apps in stark terms, likening it to a window that allows Beijing to peer into the everyday lives of Americans.’ #TikTok nytimes.com/2020/09/18/bus… h/t @mario_gug

Wow. The future of the Internet will be Balkanized (and the implications for competition and national security are real): Trump Admin to Ban TikTok, WeChat From U.S. App Stores.

I am out of 'hot takes' on these bans, except for general frustration that the current approach to these issues is so haphazard and counterproductive.

This isn't a sensible approach to national security or international competition, just as the wall isn't a sensible approach to immigration. It's about turning other countries into monsters, and blaming them for America's problems.

Trump's moves to ban TikTok and WeChat are breaking new ground in national security. I'm of two minds about it tbh. Definitely an area for further discussion and policy formulation...

I would just like to say: This again? And also: Really? Because the last threat seemed to be pretty empty? And also, what do these new rules mean?