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Donald Trump's official app has been suspended from the Google Play Store — here's why
Update: Google's statement
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Google has just taken down the Official Trump 2020 App from the Play Store. The company has since explained to us that the app ceased functioning correctly, and, after multiple attempts to contact the developer regarding these problems, Google elected to follow its policy to remove non-functional apps from the Play Store. Android Police can confirm that prior to the takedown, the app would get stuck on a loading screen and could not display content, reporting connectivity issues.
With just two weeks to go before he leaves office, President Trump has issued an executive order banning transactions with a handful of Chinese apps. Set to kick in Friday, February 19th, the order will ban Alipay, CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate, WeChat Pay, and WPS Office from US app stores.
Department of Justice sues Google over search and advertising monopoly, following year-long investigation
This lawsuit could change the internet forever
Google is no stranger to legal trouble, but 2020 may be bringing the most pressure the company has faced yet. The US Justice Department has been investigating Google's business practices for a while now, and we learned that a lawsuit was in the works last month. Today, the DOJ and eleven state attorneys filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of anticompetitive behavior to maintain its monopoly.
Individual users won't face penalties under Trump's WeChat ban
The Justice Department isn't targeting personal or business usage of the app
As part of the Trump administration's crackdown on Chinese apps, the US government is set to ban all transactions with Tencent, the owner of WeChat, beginning on September 20. As that deadline approaches, the US Justice Department has issued a filing clarifying that it does not plan to penalize individual WeChat users themselves as part of the ban.
Oracle beats out Microsoft to buy TikTok's US operations
The deal reportedly won't be structured as an outright 'sale,' though
Oracle has been selected to purchase TikTok's US operations over Microsoft — though, according to The Wall Street Journal, the deal won't be structured as a sale. Minutes before the news broke, Microsoft revealed that it wouldn't be involved in any deal even though it reportedly had Trump's blessing ahead of the app's anticipated ban.
China doesn't want TikTok sold to a US company — this is how it plans to stop a deal
TikTok's algorithms fall under a list of exports that must first be approved by the Chinese officials
TikTok rocketed further into the mainstream in July, when President Trump indicated that his administration would like to see TikTok banned, and later sold off, over alleged privacy concerns stemming from parent company ByteDance being headquartered in China. Big players like Microsoft are interested in making a deal to keep the popular short video platform alive, but sources inside the Chinese government claim the country would rather see TikTok die off in the US rather than be pressured into selling.
Huawei's temporary license to trade with US companies has expired
Huawe phones with Play Services won't get any more support
Huawei receiving a trade ban from the United States over concerns about spying was one of the most important technology events last year, but its full ramifications have yet to take effect. The U.S. Commerce Department has repeatedly granted companies temporary 90-day licenses to continue selling components to Huawei, which have been renewed time and time again. However, the most recent license has now lapsed, potentially placing the company in further trouble.
President Trump bans US transactions with TikTok and WeChat starting September 20
The order could also affect Tencent's operations in the US
The past few months have seen a global crackdown on applications owned by companies based in China, almost entirely due to political backlash at the country, rather than concerns over data privacy. India has now banned over a hundred China-made applications, most notably including TikTok, and now the United States is following suit.
Let's face it. All the phones, accessories, and other gadgets you see on this site come from one place: China. Actually, considering more than half a trillion dollars in goods came to the United States from there last year, you can count a helluva lot more stuff in that pile. Knowing how trade relations are between these two countries right now, we might be relieved about electronics tariffs that were supposed to come into effect this Sunday being delayed until mid-December. But there's been another autumn deadline we've been hurdling towards that might just make that Chinese import you're planning to take in be it a case, a battery pack, or a burner phone — more expensive starting next year. It involves the USPS and the United Nations governmental body over international postage, the Universal Postal Union.
Encryption in everyday devices should be an industry-wide standard, but many world governments are still fiercely opposed to the idea. End-to-end encryption makes it possible to send messages that can only be read by the recipient, meaning both hackers and law enforcement are out of luck. According to a new report, senior U.S. officials are debating a possible encryption ban.
The ongoing Huawei drama has been fascinating to watch, as one of the world's largest technology companies is slowly eaten away by trade bans. Huawei lost the ability to use Google services on its Android phones, had its revenue forecasts slashed, and started working on an alternative to Android. Today might be the beginning of the end of Huawei's troubles, as President Trump announced today that "U.S. companies can sell their equipment to Huawei."
Look, we don't get political on AP too often, but when the sitting President of the United States tweets about not only 5G, but 6G - it's pretty hard not to talk about it. Donald Trump tweeted this morning that he wants America to lead in 5G and 6G technology, which is all very funny, because it is very obvious the President doesn't know almost anything about either. (This largely being because by the time 6G is even in its infancy, we will probably be nearly a decade removed from a hypothetical second Trump term).
Huawei has been in hot water lately — governments around the world are banning its network equipment, it allegedly tried to steal technology for 'diamond glass' screens, and its CFO has been charged with wire fraud and conspiracy. A report from Politico claims that the White House is preparing to sign an executive order that would ban U.S. carriers from using Chinese telecom equipment, including products from Huawei.
The ZTE saga just keeps going... and going... and going. After the United States Department of Commerce banned ZTE from importing US-made components, due to the company violating an agreement it made in 2017, ZTE shut down most operations while it fought to lift the ban. Earlier this month, President Trump announced he wanted to help ZTE, as part of negotiating a trade deal with China.
Chinese smartphone maker ZTE is currently in a holding pattern after Commerce Department action last month blocked it from accessing US technology for seven years. President Trump has expressed his intention to lift that restriction, but it's unclear when or how that will happen. At a White House event with reporters, Trump has floated a hefty fine and management changes to restore ZTE's business.
ZTE was recently banned from acquiring components from US-based companies for seven years after the telecommunications firm violated the terms of a sanctions case. In a surprise move, President Trump announced his support for ZTE last week, tweeting that the sanctions resulted in "(t)oo many jobs in China lost." Despite this, a House committee has voted unanimously to reinforce those sanctions.
ZTE was accused of dodging United States sanctions on Iran in 2016, by selling technology from the U.S. to Iran through multiple shell companies. The U.S. Department of Commerce threatened to cut off ZTE from all its supply chain partners in the United States, which ZTE avoided by paying nearly a billion dollars in fines.
President Trump has been discussing trade tariffs frequently over the past few weeks, and passing tariffs on steel and aluminum last week. According to Reuters, he is now looking into imposing tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese imports, specifically targeting consumer electronics, telecoms, and IT equipment.
Broadcom attempted to purchase Qualcomm back in November, in what would be the single largest takeover of a chipmaker ever. The initial offer was declined by Qualcomm's board of directors, as was every subsequent counter offer. In response, Broadcom attempted to replace some of Qualcomm's board, allowing the purchase to be finalized. After months of turmoil, the White House has officially blocked the acquisition with a new executive order.
Donald Draws is one of the many meme Twitter accounts devoted to our newly-elected dear leader, President Donald J. Trump - and there is little denying that his executive order photo op has been one of the most meme-able moments of the presidency thus far. Now, Donald Draws: Executive Doodle, lets you bake your own versions of this iconic clip.