SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.

* indicates required
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact: media@aclu.org

ACLU Comment on TikTok and WeChat Transaction Prohibition

The Department of Commerce today issued an order implementing President Trump's executive orders sanctioning WeChat and TikTok transactions in the United States.

Below is comment from Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Security Project:

WASHINGTON

The Department of Commerce today issued an order implementing President Trump's executive orders sanctioning WeChat and TikTok transactions in the United States.

Below is comment from Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Security Project:

This order violates the First Amendment rights of people in the United States by restricting their ability to communicate and conduct important transactions on the two social media platforms. The order also harms the privacy and security of millions of existing TikTok and WeChat users in the United States by blocking software updates, which can fix vulnerabilities and make the apps more secure. In implementing President Trump's abuse of emergency powers, Secretary Ross is undermining our rights and our security. To truly address privacy concerns raised by social media platforms, Congress should enact comprehensive surveillance reform and strong consumer data privacy legislation.

An ACLU blog post on President Trump's August executive orders relating to TikTok and WeChat is here: https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/dont-ban-tiktok-and-wechat/.

The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

(212) 549-2666