Using the phrase “untrusted Chinese apps,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is actually talking about banning the use of a large number of applications by American companies, assessed as “serious threats to personal data belonging to American citizens.”
Direct nominations made by Mike Pompeo include TikTok and WeChat, but the approach used suggests that the bans will be applied on a much larger scale, following the example already provided by India.
Reflecting a sharp deterioration in diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing, the announcement made by the Trump administration is argued by suspicions that applications provided by companies and developers subordinate to China are used to collect information about states opposed to the Chinese Communist Party. Of course, the accusations are vehemently denied by the Beijing government.
Thus, in the next period we will probably see more and more Chinese applications excluded from the App Store, Play Store and other application stores managed by American companies, or who want to remain in good relations with the United States.
But the scale of US bans is likely to go beyond the mobile app segment, targeting large Chinese technology companies such as Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent, all of which are currently in the United States.
US wants ‘clean network’
Aiming to clean up U.S. communications networks of “Chinese influence” and protect US interests, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described a 5-tier approach, ensuring that:
Telecom operators on list of untrustworthy Chinese companies cannot connect directly to US telecommunications networks
Mobile applications marked as “untrusted” are removed from US-used app stores
Untrusted smartphone manufacturers are prevented from preinstalling, or proposing for download, the most popular mobile apps originating in the United States
Preventive measures are taken to prevent the storage or access through Chinese-managed cloud services, personal information, intellectual property and other sensitive data belonging to US citizens or companies.
Securing submarine fiber optic cables that connect the United States to the global Internet infrastructure so that they cannot be compromised by China’s subordinate intelligence agencies.
It is not clear how the US will impose all these measures on its territory, but especially with what authority it will force companies from other regions of the world to comply with the new “clean networks” strategy against China.
In the first phase, President Trump promised to ban TikTok in the US by September 15, if the owner of ByteDance does not allow himself to be bought by an American company.
Juana loves to cover the tech and gaming industry, she always stays on the first row of CES conference and reports live from there.