On September 27, 2020, the ban on WeChat proposed by President Trump was scheduled to come into force. However, Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler, a federal judge, temporarily stopped the Trump Administration’s order to remove WeChat from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Playstore. In response, President Trump has asked for the American Court to allow the ban to proceed.

WeChat is a Chinese-owned messaging platform typically used by Chinese-American families trying to communicate with their families overseas. It functions similarly to well-known apps like Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, and others. For people living in China, WeChat is perfect for formal and informal conversations. Especially during quarantine, WeChat has proven to be effective for connecting the people around the world. If it is such an effective service, then why would President Trump advocate for WeChat to be removed from the App Store and Playstore?

President Trump wrote in his executive order that similarly to TikTok, “WeChat automatically captures … information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information.” This is a heavy accusation laid out by President Trump. However, when asked if they knew what happened with their data, WeChat users admitted that they did not actually know whether or not the Chinese government could view and use their information. 

Much of the controversy arrives from the ease of WeChat. As mentioned before, WeChat is typically used by Chinese-American citizens looking to speak with their relatives and friends over the world. Without WeChat, those conservations will not only disappear, but they will also never continue again.

by Nathan Park