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Microsoft plots superpowered Bing app to break the dominance of Apple and Google
How well could a WeChat work outside of China?
Microsoft unceremoniously flopped out of the mobile ecosystem wars in late 2019 with the death of Windows Mobile. The company has tried to make up for it by offering its services on the platforms it tried to compete against while also embracing a number of integrations with Android. Still, it seems the company has ambitions to give customers of Apple and Google another compelling choice for online search, shopping, payments, and a lot more. Microsoft could do so by turning to a strategy that's seen success in Asia.
Biden revokes Trump's order to ban TikTok and WeChat
They’ll still face scrutiny from the US Department of Commerce
While the executive order by Donald Trump to ban TikTok and WeChat never came into force, the Biden administration has revoked it in favor of evidence-based investigations of foreign-controlled applications that could pose a security risk to Americans and their data.
India moves to permanently ban TikTok, Mi Community, and dozens more apps
59 apps initially faced a provisional ban back in June
During the last year, India went on a banning spree covering hundreds of Chinese apps in several rounds. The first round took down a total of 59 apps with some high-profile names like TikTok, WeChat, and CamScanner. It was initially a provisional ban, but according to a few local media reports, the authorities are now looking to make their decision permanent.
TikTok and WeChat spared from US bans for now (APK Download)
Still available on the Play Store and APK Mirror
The Trump administration's prospects for bans on Chinese social apps TikTok and WeChat appear to be shelved for now. The shutdowns that were supposed to commence today —as mandated by executive orders signed in August — have been delayed.
The U.S. government threatened to ban TikTok and WeChat if no suitable U.S. company bought it, and even though TikTok and Oracle just recently signed a deal as "trusted tech partners," that apparently wasn't enough. The U.S. Commerce Department today shared that TikTok and WeChat will not be available for download from U.S. app stores anymore starting Sunday, September 20, confirming the initial announcement on August 6.
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.
PUBG Mobile among 118 latest Chinese apps to get banned in India
Other names to get the ax include WeChat and Baidu
Amidst escalating border tensions between the two nations, India’s been on a banning spree targeting apps with any Chinese connection. We’ve already seen a couple of these rounds that took down some big names like TikTok from the Indian Play Store. With the latest update to the restricted app list, the Indian government has decided to pull the plug on a total of 118 apps, including the wildly popular multiplayer game, PUBG Mobile.
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.
India bans TikTok, CamScanner, WeChat and 56 more popular Chinese apps in huge purge
If only Cheetah Mobile's Clean Master was banned everywhere
India has been attempting to reduce its reliance on trade with China for the past few years, primarily with the government's Make in India program. These efforts have escalated over the past few weeks, as India and China have been engaged in border skirmishes along the Galwan Valley, and now the India government is outright banning some Chinese smartphone applications.
WeChat monitors foreigners' chats to feed its Chinese censorship machine, investigation finds
Is anyone really surprised?
The internet in China is different from the internet in the rest of the world. Services are heavily censored by the state, making it impossible to discuss unsanctioned political topics on the web openly. WeChat, in particular, is known to monitor and censor its platform in China. However, an investigation by The Citizen Lab shows that WeChat doesn't only monitor Chinese citizens, but also extends this activity to people all over the world using the app. It does that to feed its censorship algorithms, which helps filter out certain content proactively. WeChat essentially crowd-sources international users' data.
One of the nice things about sending traditional SMS messages is the option not to type them. Using the Google app (or an Android Wear device), you can just say "OK Google, send a text to Mom: Look Ma, no hands!" You can do the same through Hangouts and email. The feature is a life saver while driving, when messages would otherwise go unanswered.