Deal Approved by President Trump Just Before TikTok App Banned in U.S.

The deadline for several Chinese-based social media apps to partner with a U.S. company passed this weekend. President Trump signed an executive order banning several apps, including TikTok, in the U.S. by September 20th, claiming user’s data was being used by the Chinese government. These claims have been adamantly denied by the parent company ByteDance and still have not been proven but, that’s done little to sway the president. Over the weekend, he finally approved a deal between Oracle and Walmart. ByteDance will continue to be majority owner, but will work in close conjunction with the U.S. companies. However, no firm resolution has been made for the other apps currently at risk, including WeChat. A judge was forced to take action over the weekend to bar moves by the Trump Administration to shut it down. She claimed there’s little evidence to support the order and that it’s a violation of freedom of speech. For now, the app remains available to the public.