President Donald Trump proposed a ban on both Chinese-owned apps, TikTok and WeChat, after labelling the apps as a ''national security threat'' in the U.S. Amidst the ongoing legal issues regarding both the apps, the Justice Department has stated that users of WeChat will not face civil or criminal penalties even if the app is banned in the U.S. by next week.
Users of WeChat filed a motion in U.S. District Court in S.F., in an attempt to prevent the Government from prohibiting WeChat from being used by users, businesses, and groups. In response, the Justice Department clarified that individuals or groups who only download the app or use it for personal or business purposes do not have to face civil or criminal penalties.
However, the Justice Department did add that the use of WeChat by individuals or groups could be ''directly or indirectly impaired through measures targeted at other transactions.".
WeChat users who sued the Administration said that its order prohibits the use of WeChat by millions of users in the U.S. WeChat is a popular social media platform for messaging for Chinese speakers around the world and the app has been downloaded 19 million times in the U.S.
