US - China Conflict Over Social Media

There is growing tension between the US and China as the US government focuses on the Chinese online services industry.  President Trump has already  issued two executive orders banning the Chinese-owned social media apps TikTok and WeChat.

US Secretary of State Pompeo has said the US is looking at banning TikTok and other Chinese social media apps and now TiKTok's US CEO, ex-Disney executive Kevin Mayer has quit, complining that political turmail has made his job impossible.

TikTok is a short-form video app owned by China-based ByteDance, was recently banned in India along with 58 other Chinese apps after a border clash between India and China. 
 
TikTok’s popularity in the US among the younger generation, has created the  arguments about US Government intervention. And now it is quite probable that TikTok will be taken over by a US company, probably Microsoft or Walmart  This is not thought to be well received in with the Chinese governmnet, as the US will be accused of abusing a very successful Chinese business. However, although TikTok has captured more headlines in the West so far, the sanctions against WeChat are potentially more far-reaching and damaging to the bilateral relationship.

TikTok is a standalone app, but WeChat's instant messaging app lies at the heart of an entire ecosystem of services, making it indispensable in the daily lives of hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens. 

It is also linked to the Chinese state.  Its importance in the West lies in its connections to Chinese residents. If WeChat were to become unavailable to US users, this alone would have considerable human and commercial repercussions.  However, questions about surveillance and security that apply domestically are equally present internationally. 

Pompeo's remarks also come amid increasing US-China tensions over the handling of the coronavirus outbreak, China's actions in Hong Kong and a nearly two-year trade war over chinese telecoms firm Huawei's 5G technology.

CNBC:        Marketplace:       Jakarta Post:        NBC:      The Verge

You Might Also Read:

Will It Be The US That Breaks Up The Internet?:

 

« Webinar: How to continuously monitor and assess your security posture in the AWS Cloud
The New Generation Of Cyber Security Threats »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

IT Governance

IT Governance

IT Governance is a leading global provider of information security solutions. Download our free guide and find out how ISO 27001 can help protect your organisation's information.

Clayden Law

Clayden Law

Clayden Law advise global businesses that buy and sell technology products and services. We are experts in information technology, data privacy and cybersecurity law.

CYRIN

CYRIN

CYRIN® Cyber Range. Real Tools, Real Attacks, Real Scenarios. See why leading educational institutions and companies in the U.S. have begun to adopt the CYRIN® system.

DigitalStakeout

DigitalStakeout

DigitalStakeout enables cyber security professionals to reduce cyber risk to their organization with proactive security solutions, providing immediate improvement in security posture and ROI.

CSI Consulting Services

CSI Consulting Services

Get Advice From The Experts: * Training * Penetration Testing * Data Governance * GDPR Compliance. Connecting you to the best in the business.

Venafi

Venafi

Venafi is a world-class cyber-security company dedicated to protecting machine identities for our hyper-connected digital economy.

Interpol

Interpol

Interpol is the world’s largest international police organization. It is committed to the global fight against cybercrime, as well as tackling cyber-enabled crimes.

Zadara Storage

Zadara Storage

Zadara provide complete data backup and protection delivered as a fully-managed service.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

ISO is an independent, non-governmental international standards organization. The ISO/IEC 27001 is the standard for information security management systems.

CERT-MU

CERT-MU

CERT-MU is the Mauritian National Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Clearwater Security & Compliance

Clearwater Security & Compliance

Clearwater Compliance specialize in Privacy, Security, Compliance and Risk Management Solutions for Health Care, Law Firms and other businesses.

France Cybersecurity

France Cybersecurity

France Cybersecurity represents the French cybersecurity industry to raise international awareness of French cybersecurity capabilities and solutions.

Cyber Security Capital (CS^)

Cyber Security Capital (CS^)

Cyber Security Capital is a consultancy helping to mobilise and empower individuals, corporate leaders and entrepreneurs in cyber security.

AVeS Cyber Security

AVeS Cyber Security

AVeS combines expert knowledge and services with leading technology products to provide comprehensive Information Security and Advanced IT Infrastructure solutions.

RIT Global Cybersecurity Institute

RIT Global Cybersecurity Institute

At RIT's Global Cybersecurity Institute, we educate and train cybersecurity professionals; develop new cybersecurity and AI-based knowledge for industry, academia, and government.

36 Group

36 Group

36 Group's criminal law team, has the experience and specialist knowledge to conduct effectively trials heavily concerned with the growing phenomenon of Cybercrime.

GoTo

GoTo

At GoTo we help people and businesses to connect and collaborate simply and securely – from anywhere. We’re the trusted partner for companies of all sizes.

Blackpanda

Blackpanda

Blackpanda is Asia’s premier cyber security incident response group, hyper-focused on digital forensics and cyber crisis response.

Hilltop Technologies

Hilltop Technologies

Hilltop Technologies is a cybersecurity company specialized in managed security services and consulting tailored for all sectors from higher education to publicly traded companies.

Securitybricks

Securitybricks

Securitybricks specialize in cloud security and compliance. Our mission is to automate regulatory compliance backed by human validation.

Blind Insight

Blind Insight

Field-level searchable encryption plus fine-grained programmable access controls. All wrapped neatly in developer-friendly APIs and SDKs. Data protection perfection.