Justice Department Asks Judge To Allow US To Bar WeChat From US App Stores (reuters.com) 34
The U.S. Justice Department asked a federal judge in San Francisco early on Friday to allow the government to bar Apple and Google from offering WeChat for download in U.S. app stores pending an appeal. From a report: The filing asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler to put on hold her preliminary injunction issued Saturday. That injunction blocked the U.S. Commerce Department order which was set to take effect late on Sept. 20 and that would also bar other U.S. transactions with Tencent's WeChat, potentially making the app unusable in the United States. The Justice Department filing said Beeler's order was in error and "permits the continued, unfettered use of WeChat, a mobile application that the Executive Branch has determined constitutes a threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States." Tencent had put forward a "mitigation proposal" that sought to create a new U.S. version of the app, deploy specific security measures to protect the new apps source code, partner with a U.S. cloud provider for user data storage, and manage the new app through a U.S.-based entity, the filing said.
Fair play (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
What I wonder then.. should China ban Google and Facebook and WhatsApp and iPhones?
Since most american companies are intent on taking private info of their customers and reselling it. Is the "sell your customer's data" model dead?
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China has a ban on Google and Facebook already.
Facebook is banned. Google is not banned but voluntarily withdrew from the Chinese market.
Some Google services are available in China, but their main search engine is not. Google has made some attempts, such as Dragonfly [wikipedia.org] to bring search back to China.
Currently, Google is estimated to have about 3% of the search market in China, mostly via VPNs, which are widely used.
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China has a ban on Google and Facebook already.
Facebook is banned. Google is not banned but voluntarily withdrew from the Chinese market.
Well, sort of. Google was told that they couldn't operate in mainland China unless they were willing to block search results according to the dictates of the Chinese government.
The fact that they decided not to go along could be labelled "voluntarily withdrew from the Chinese market, I suppose. But I would say "China banned them unless they agreed to censorship" is more accurate.
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Well, sort of. Google was told that they couldn't operate in mainland China unless they were willing to block search results according to the dictates of the Chinese government.
Also known as..."Following the laws of the country you are trying to operate in."
(However shitty those laws might be.)
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Well, sort of. Google was told that they couldn't operate in mainland China unless they were willing to block search results according to the dictates of the Chinese government.
Also known as..."Following the laws of the country you are trying to operate in." (However shitty those laws might be.)
Yep. And, returning to the topic of the discussion, if the judge says U.S. Commerce Department can block WeChat, that would also be "following the laws of the country they are trying to operate in however shitty those laws might be".
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Bullcrap. Just because China oppresses its people doesn't mean America should do the same.
The federal government has no constitutional authority to tell me what apps I can install on my cellphone.
Re: Fair play (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
Just as china bans western apps or forces western companies to be co-owner by chinese ones, we should do the same.
This isn't about what Western countries can do in China. It is about what the American people can do in America.
Trump has no authority to tell me what apps I can install on my phone.
First Amendment to the United States Constitution [wikipedia.org]
Re: Fair play (Score:2)
Nothing like that. In America companies donâ(TM)t limit and restrict what you say. Likewise, if something poses a national security threat and you donâ(TM)t care, then move elsewhere. Nobody is restricting free speech. You donâ(TM)t have the right to be part of what our intelligence considers foreign intelligence gathering, regardless of how much you or me may like WeChat or any other app.
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Bullcrap. Just because China oppresses its people doesn't mean America should do the same.
I think it's a little late for that. The US has never needed China's example to oppress people. Maybe some large group of people don't feel oppressed in the US, but you can say the same about China where I'm sure the members of the Communist party don't feel oppressed at all either.
Misplaced priorities as COVID decimates citizens.. (Score:3, Insightful)
..."permits the continued, unfettered use of WeChat, a mobile application that the Executive Branch has determined constitutes a threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States...
May the Almighty save our nation for we have [schizophrenic] leaders with misplaced priorities as COVID-19 continues to decimate citizenry.
Over 200,000 and counting! And how many folks have died because of WeChat?
Our administration needs to get serious.
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I thought you'd tell fellas here *cough* *cough* how many folks WeChat has decimated thus far...
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Let me guess... one in ten users?
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So there's no such thing as Federal policies or Federal Aid or nationwide policy? Huh. I swear that was something that a Federal Government did. But I guess I'm wrong...just a bunch of mayors and governors running things.
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480,000 Americans die of smoking every year and 860,000 die of heart disease. You better do something about that too. The citizens are being "decimated" by those things!
Good things there's laws about smoking. But heart disease...yeah...that's a big one. I remember catching heart disease from my neighbor just the other day because he insisted on eating a Big Mac near me.
Seriously though...we can't get people to wear masks and you think there's any chance the Federal Government can legislate us out of heart disease? Might I remind you that Trump's administration went after Michelle Obama's Health School Lunches initiative...that seems like a "pro obesity", "pro diabetes", an
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Isn't Facebook a threat to National security in other countries? Doesn't that argument go both ways?
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The difference is, China isn't banning them on "national security" reasons.. (which is a cloak and dagger way of banning anything you don't like without giving reasons).
China restricts Facebook and Twitter (google and its myriad of services withdrew) due to cultural requirements. China is VERY strict on the information it lets into their country and is highly sensitive about any negative press about its "president" (similar to Thailand and the Royal Family) or policies and wants to filter out anything that
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It's a threat to national security in the USA too
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PROVE Wechat is a "threat" to national security?
A few people keep saying that...Prove it.. Show where they have done anything relating to national security.
If you are a government worker using it.. that's bad.. But its bad if you are doing that, or Google Hangouts, or Apple iCloud, and especially Facebook. Outside of that, the only reason they are considering it a "security" issue is WeChat doesn't share its keys with the US government and its various agencies.
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I don't care about WeChat, I was talking about Facebook, it's the threat.
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I'm not fan of the current administration (i.e. don't take this post as an endorsement of anything they're doing), but any administration should be able to whistle while they walk. Governments don't drop everything to focus on one thing at a time while ignoring everything else. It's always a matter of balancing priorities and resources. That COVID-19 is going on is not a reason to ignore everything else.
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...It's always a matter of balancing priorities and resources...
Agreed...100%
Now, you will also agree with me that if the government directed just 50% of the WeChat/Tik Tok efforts to COVID-19, we would be in a better place.
Then you have a Chief Executive who admits to playing down the danger of the virus!
The virus respects no borders, yet our politicians look on...and play politics!!
It's pathetic...it's tragic...it's very very sad...
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Now, you will also agree with me that if the government directed just 50% of the WeChat/Tik Tok efforts to COVID-19, we would be in a better place.
Frankly, no, I don't agree. I don't think we'd be in a better place.
The problem with this administration's response to COVID-19 is one of misplaced priorities, as you said, but not the ones you identified. They've had (and have) enough time, energy, and resources to manage the situation properly, but they haven't. Instead, they've been engaging in save-face maneuver after save-face maneuver. They continue to downplay the damage and ongoing risk, they continue to deny responsibility, and they continue to bla
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Governments don't drop everything to focus on one thing at a time while ignoring everything else.
Of course not. Governments should actively kill their population while infringing on their right to pick which software they use to communicate!
It's always a matter of balancing priorities and resources.
Exactly. And the current administration is fucking horrible at it. Attack the boogeyman while your population is dying. Anyway COVID-19 is not the reason the USA should be ignoring WeChat. There are many fucking other reasons.
China less Dangerous to Me (Score:3)
China can't directly affect me but the USG banning apps can, so I have to side with the judge on this one.
They can make the use of WeChat a fireable offense for government workers if they want. /Wickard v. Filburn/ must be overturned if any of this is to get better.
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Absolutely. Given the level of proof they provided in this case (none) there is nothing preventing them from blocking any app they don't like because "it's a threat to national security". Like, apps which share news they don't like.
If this goes through it will be a sad day for the "land of the free".
Re: China less Dangerous to Me (Score:2)
I like China. Thereâ(TM)s so many nice people. Hard working. However, China affect the entire world directly. You have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.
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You're claiming that preventing the FBI downloading WeChat improves national security? In reality, the government isn't banning the downloading or use of WeChat: It's complicating the downloading of WeChat in the USA.
Do you think mom will buy it? (Score:1)
Rusty: Audrey, dad.
Clark: For you and Audrey. Swimming pool waitress...
Rusty: Do you think mom will buy it?
Clark: Good talk, son.