OCA EXPRESSES ALARM AFTER U.S. COMMERCE DEPARTMENT BARS DOWNLOADS OF WECHAT, TIKTOK
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
18 September 2020
Contact: Eiley Fong | Communications Associate
202.223.5500 | eiley.fong@ocanational.org
Washington, DC - OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates is alarmed by the Trump administration’s decision to ban WeChat and TikTok from U.S. app stores. Conversations about a potential ban started in August, and American users will be blocked from downloading and updating WeChat starting on Sunday, September 20, 2020.
The ban was announced by the Department of Commerce on Friday morning and cited Executive Order 13873, which was signed by President Trump in August. The Trump administration has repeatedly stated that the apps are threats to national security due to their collection and use of data. Both TikTok and WeChat are prolific in the United States and used by a wide range of demographics.
There is panic around the WeChat ban’s potential impacts on Chinese/Chinese American families. Many Chinese and Chinese Americans utilize WeChat to communicate with family members in the U.S. and abroad because of its advanced Chinese language video, voice message, and voice-to-text capabilities. WeChat also serves as a platform to grow the online Chinese/Chinese American community, similar to platforms like Facebook and Discord which are banned in China. By disallowing the downloading and usage of this app, freedom to access social media is at stake.
“WeChat is an essential communication tool in Chinese American communities” says Roland Hwang, OCA National Vice President of Public Affairs. “Many use WeChat to communicate with Chinese American family members, business owners, community members, and family members in the United States and overseas. Once we lose access to WeChat, the only other options are traditional voice calls and mail. With this type of digital censorship, threats to our democracy and freedom are much closer to home than we believe.”
OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national civil rights organization dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).
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