Commerce Dept. announces ban on TikTok and WeChat, citing ‘malicious collection’ of U.S. citizens’ data

The Commerce Department today banned transactions “relating to mobile applications WeChat and TikTok,” Chinese-owned services that the U.S. says can be used by Beijing to collect data on U.S. citizens for espionage and other purposes, including fueling China’s artificial intelligence initiatives.

“The Chinese Communist Party has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the U.S. Today’s announced prohibitions, when combined, protect users in the U.S. by eliminating...