Social-Media
WeChat User Group sues Trump's administration over a suspension that says it is unconstitutional
A group of users of WeChat sue the Trump administration for the President's Executive Order forbidding transactions with the app, the Wall Street Journal reported. The organization is not associated with WeChat or its owner Tencent, but intends to block the President's August 6th order, which the organization argues is illegal because it violates the user's due process and free speech rights, according to the Journal.
The case also charges that the ban is targeted at Chinese-Americans.
It is the primary app that Chinese-speakers in the U.S. use to engage in social life by communicating with loved ones, sharing special moments, debating thoughts, getting up-to-the-minute news, and engaging in political discussions and advocacy, the complaint claims, and has become central to the everyday life of its users, many of whom frequently spend hours on the app every day.
President Trump's executive order specifically bans "any activity relevant to WeChat." There has been some controversy about the ban, which is scheduled to take effect next month due to its specific language.
It was one of the two executive orders signed by the president targeting Chinese companies, while the other blocked all transactions with ByteDance, the parent company of the TikTok video-sharing app. All directives are based on the Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergency Act.
WeChat, like that of TikTok ... It can also be used for misinformation campaigns that favor the Communist Party of China, Trump's order against WeChat notes. Both WeChat and TikTok have maintained that they are not security threats.
On Saturday, TikTok confirmed that he plans to sue the Trump administration for an order. It was in talks with Microsoft about the software giant potentially purchasing TikTok 's U.S. operations, and other firms, including Twitter and Oracle, were also reportedly engaged in separate talks with TikTok.
The WeChat User Alliance is made up of people who claim that they rely on WeChat for personal and business purposes. The group 's attorney says he hopes that the Trump administration would have to provide notice that the WeChat transactions will be banned, according to the Journal.
