Trump’s TikTok, WeChat ban can cause problems to US tech firms: Here’s how

It finally happened. After a month of threatening to do so, President Donald Trump issued executive orders that will ban the popular Chinese-owned social media apps TikTok and WeChat in the U.S. on national security concerns. There are still some unknowns around the language and implementation of the decrees, and there’s a chance they get dialed back later during trade negotiations between the U.S. and China. Whatever happens, there will likely be lasting negative ramifications — and not just for Chinese firms, but for American technology companies as well.

Trump’s orders, signed late Thursday, have a 45-day lag. They prohibit any person subject to U.S. jurisdiction from dealing with TikTok’s Beijing-based owner ByteDance Ltd. and Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. in transactions related to its WeChat app.