A judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the United States’ ban on WeChat app downloads, as reported by Reuters.
The judge found that the ban raises questions about free speech issues raised by a group of users who sued the Trump administration.
He also noted that the government’s security concerns about the app were “considerable” but that the evidence against the app was “modest.”
This latest move is good news for WeChat users and several American companies. Companies like Apple and Disney warned that their businesses would be impacted if they couldn’t interact with WeChat.
WeChat isn’t just a messaging service for Chinese users, since it’s used for payments, news, online shopping and social networking. It’s a highly important app in China, and it would be difficult to market a phone that couldn’t run the service.
A recent report revealed that if Apple was forced to remove WeChat from the App Store, its iPhone shipments could fall by up to 30 percent.
Other companies would also be impacted if they couldn’t handle transactions on WeChat since it would hinder their ability to reach Chinese consumers.
The injunction has put these concerns on hold for now, but the companies will wait to see how the situation plays out.
The developments from this weekend mean that both TikTok and WeChat have managed to avoid a ban for now, as President Trump has reportedly approved TikTok’s deal with Oracle and Walmart.
Source: Reuters
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