Tik Tok Blocked: Trump Administration will Ban Chinese Video Sharing App

Chinese video sharing application Tik Tok has met its end in the US, apparently.

The video application is incredibly popular with teens and pre-teens, assuming the spot once held by SnapChat, with young people sharing all sorts of short, self-produced videos on the daily.  A great number of these videos are nothing more than silly dance challenges or B-grade sketch comedy bits, but there is a dark side to Tik Tok as well:  The Chinese government’s use of the app to allegedly spy on users throughout the world.

Amid these concerns, President Donald Trump had previously threatened to ban the app, unless Tik Tok would sell to a US based owner such as Microsoft.

Now, despite being involved in a deal that would see Tik Tok sold to Oracle, the Trump administration is apparently moving ahead with the ban.

The Commerce Department plans to restrict access to TikTok and WeChat on Sunday as the Trump administration’s executive orders against the two apps are set to take effect.

The Department said Friday that as of Sunday, any moves to distribute or maintain WeChat or TikTok on an app store will be prohibited. Apple and Google didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

While users who have already downloaded the apps may be able to continue using the software, the restrictions mean updated versions of the apps cannot be downloaded.

“The only real change as of Sunday night will be [TikTok users] won’t have access to improved apps, updated apps, upgraded apps or maintenance,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Friday morning on Fox Business.

This announcement caused “VPN’s” to trend on Twitter as social media users looked for ways to avoid losing access to the ultra-popular application.