Biden revokes Trump’s TikTok and WeChat ban order, but White House says it’ll subject foreign-owned apps to a security review

President Biden is revoking the Trump administration orders that sought to ban TikTok, WeChat and other Chinese apps and replacing it with a new security review that could prompt fresh steps to restrict those or other apps.

A new executive order will create a process to scrutinize whether apps controlled by a foreign adversary present risks to U.S. national security and the security of Americans’ sensitive personal data, the White House said Wednesday.

After the review, the government can “take action, as appropriate,” the administration said in a fact sheet.

Senior administration officials said they remain concerned about the risks posed by Chinese apps but noted that the Trump administration’s ban order had faced several court challenges. The order was blocked by judicial rulings.

Asked whether the Biden administration still intends to ban TikTok or WeChat, one senior administration official said: “All the mobile apps named in the revoked executive orders are eligible for evaluation under the process we’ve outlined.”

“The administration is extremely committed to ensure protection of Americans’ data from foreign at-risk apps across the board … including large and popular apps. I think there are a wide range of actions that can be negotiated or imposed to ensure Americans’ data can be comprehensively protected,” another senior administration official told reporters Wednesday. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the new executive order.