Puppet Masters

Trump admin to block TikTok and WeChat downloads starting Sunday

Ryan Lovelace
The Washington Times
Fri, 18 Sep 2020 00:01 UTC

© AP Photo/FileThis Feb. 25, 2020, file photo, shows the icon for TikTok in New York. TikTok's owner has chosen Oracle over Microsoft as its preferred suitor to buy the popular video-sharing app, according to a source familiar with the deal, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020.

The Department of Commerce said Friday that it would start banning U.S. transactions with TikTok and WeChat beginning on Sunday.

The Commerce Department said it will implement the ban of the China-owned social media apps under authority provided by President Trump's August 2020 executive order and will do so to safeguard Americans' national security.

"Today's actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party," Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in a statement. "At the president's direction, we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations."

Starting Sunday, companies will be prevented from distributing TikTok and WeChat for download in the U.S. from app stores, such as those operated via Apple and Google on any devices, per the Commerce Department's announcement. The Trump administration is also blocking companies from transferring funds or processing payments through WeChat in the U.S.

Mr. Ross attempted to clarify how the bans would be enacted differently against TikTok and WeChat in an interview on Fox Business Network on Friday.

"For all practical purposes, [WeChat] will be shut down in the U.S., but only in the U.S., as of midnight on Monday, by the Commerce Department ruling," Mr. Ross said on Fox Business. "TikTok is more complicated because, in effect, there are two alternatives there. One is the rules that we'll be announcing right now and the other is if there is a transaction completed by November 12th. ... So as to TikTok, the only real change as of Sunday night will be — won't have access to improved apps, updated apps, upgraded apps, or maintenance. So if that were to continue over a long period of time, there might be a gradual degradation of services. But the basic TikTok will stay intact until November 12th."

WeChat is a social messaging app owned by the Chinese company Tencent, and TikTok is a video-based social media platform owned by the China-based ByteDance. The Commerce Department's forthcoming blockade of TikTok arrives as the Trump administration is separately reviewing a proposal for Oracle to acquire TikTok.

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Reader Comments

Rowan Cocoan · 2020-09-19T11:02:01Z

Who's damaging Trump the most, fecesbook, ogle, twatter, or Tik Tok? We know. Answer: Whoever at the White House is behind this is also behind the delays in prosecuting the riots (which should still happen) etc.

So why the hell is this happening (especially in the classic sub rosa weekend time period for the kick in?)

They're beholden to the Deep State and Pompeo and Barr lead that pack, and hope to damage Trump and gladden their DS controllers.

R.C.

Rowan Cocoan · 2020-09-19T12:17:15Z

Look, the point is this: a government edict to ban TikTok destroys any pretext that a “free market” exists. All of these tech companies said they welcome competition. But in actual reality, anyone who would ever compete with them would just be bought out.

Facebook paid 19 billion dollars for WhatsApp. There is no ability for new competition to enter the market when the government refuses to enforce anti-trust laws. So that means that the only entity that could ever compete would be a foreign country, specifically China. Now we know that if China follows all of the rules and is successful, the government will just ban a massive company from operating at all.

If you combine this with the government’s coronavirus hoax, which was obviously designed to completely destroy any remaining small businesses, you have a system where the government is working hand-in-glove with multinational corporations to remove any form of market competition.

Meanwhile, the laws providing rights to private companies, which were designed for a time when businesses competed with each other, are still on the books, and still used to provide immunity for corporations which completely dominate society.

Basically: these corporations are now no different than the government, in that they are absolute entities. But unlike the government, you have no ability to petition them. They can censor you with impunity. They can work in concert to censor you. They can spy on you. They can charge you whatever they want to charge you. There is no possible way you can even complain about them. If you complain publicly, they will just silence you. This is like friggin’ Rollerball.

Now, imagine that the Antifa are out in the street using lame 1990s memes about “fighting capitalism.”

Capitalism doesn’t exist anymore. The entire basis of our economy is an open market, and no one can claim that this exists anymore, because the government refused to enforce regulations. The corporations bought out the government. The definition of “capitalism” is “competition in a free market.”

In “The Wealth of Nations,” Adam Smith named monopolies as the single biggest threat to a capitalist system , and basically defined the purpose of the government as preventing the establishment of monopolies. I’m not a big economics supporter, and basically believe that things should just be done rationally and logically, rather than according to an ideology, but the idea that a monopoly system is somehow the same thing as capitalism is just factually wrong. (Snip.)

The idiot conservatives apparently also believed that this was “capitalism.” They went along with the establishment of these monopolies, because they were too stupid to actually find out what capitalism is, and thought it just meant “companies getting rich and dominating everyone in the name of values.”

[Link]
R.C.

Joyly · 2020-09-19T12:56:31Z

Rowan Cocoan And these monopolies will own and run the AI surveillance intelligence data collection network and cloud brain that will be our master - Digital ID, health passport, social credit score, right of passage to leave the house, work, shop, gather - forget it.

This is the end result of privatising Government functions like the Fed IRS CDC, and allow the monopolistic techs to run their own show. There is no government control or accountability. Total immunity with no redress.

Joyly · 2020-09-19T13:03:57Z

Rowan Cocoan Re the link. By banning WeChat and TikTok does the US really want to piss off China to the point of dumping $US? That is the next step to the dollar imploding.

Ragnar · 2020-09-19T16:25:06Z

For "Trump" (whoever is behind this) to screw with either app, right before the selection, is kind of idiotic. It's going to turn those who use the apps totally against Trump. He should have waited till after the selection even mention it. IMO anyway. I understand what China is doing with these apps. It's the same thing the NSA is doing with apps and networks "we" own. So we are damned either way we go. I don't use any of the apps, so it doesn't matter to me. But I don't see either party (the CCP or the US Intel hydra) as "good" or "right".

Ragnar · 2020-09-19T16:28:58Z

You're right Joyly. Those corrupted, likely blackmailed people within the government are following the globalist playbook to the letter. Doing everything they can to get that train moving so fast that it'll run right off the cliff so no one can stop it. The time is running out for us to act quickly.

He has the look of an angry, petty, little man. Perfect WEF employee material.

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Trump admin to block TikTok and WeChat downloads starting Sunday

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