The US Department of Commerce has announced a ban on downloads of the Chinese-owned mobile applications TikTok and WeChat beginning on Sunday.
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The distribution of TikTok or WeChat as well as any updates and related code through US mobile app stores will be prohibited, the Department of Commerce said.
The transferring of funds through WeChat will be barred.
Offering internet hosting, content delivery networks, internet transit or peering service to WeChat, or using the app's code in other software or services will be prohibited as of Sunday.
The same restrictions go into effect for TikTok on November 12.
US President Donald Trump, citing security concerns regarding users' data, had issued an executive order in August that would ban TikTok in the United States from the middle of this month unless it was sold to a US company.
"Today's actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party," US Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a press release.
"At the president's direction, we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms and aggressive enforcement of US laws and regulations."
In an interview on broadcaster Fox Business, Ross said WeChat would be effectively "shut down" from Sunday night while TikTok will still function, though users will not be able to upgrade the app.
TikTok would face the same bans as WeChat on November 12 if there is no deal that assuages the Trump administration's concerns, he said.
TikTok, owned by China-based parent firm ByteDance, is currently in talks to be acquired by the US computer software company Oracle.
The White House has not yet approved the bid by Oracle to purchase TikTok, because it appeared to be less than a full sale of the social media app and more of a joint venture, falling short of what the Trump administration had been demanding since August.
Australian Associated Press
