Concerns grow over WeChat ban in US

Concerns are growing that with the US considering a ban on popular Chinese social media app WeChat, there could be bigger implications than previously thought. 

Experts have said one example is that it could impact companies such as Apple who have a huge presence in China and if WeChat is banned there, the company could lose billions in iPhone sales. 

But Bloomberg has stated that according to their sources, the ban might not be a blanket one but it might only apply to the US. 

WeChat is one of the primary forms of communication in China, where other popular messaging apps either don’t work or don’t work as well as intended to. 

Ubergizmo meanwhile reported that a recent survey found that many Chinese customers would stop buying and using iPhones if such a ban were to go into effect, resulting in Apple losing billions. 

This comes after the Trump administration is reportedly trying to privately reassure US companies, including Apple, that they can still do business with the WeChat messaging app in China. 

According to Bloomberg, senior White House officials have been in contact with some companies about this, following President Donald Trump’s order two weeks ago of a US ban on the Chinese-owned service. 

Apple however stands to lose the most as China represents a fifth of its sales. In addition, Apple also relies on China for a large part of its manufacturing. 

However, the Trump administration is still working on the technical implications of how to enforce a partial ban on the app and, according to Bloomberg, the key question is whether the White House would allow Apple and Google to offer the app in their global app stores outside of the US and if so, where. 

The administration cited the national security risk of leaving Americans’ personal data exposed to China in announcing the ban earlier this month but Trump’s announcement set off alarm bells across US companies. 

The app is an indispensable part of doing business in China and is the world’s most popular messaging app with more than a billion users. 

Experts meanwhile have said that shutting down the communications app between America and China could essentially shut down personal communication between the two countries and disrupt operations of international companies.