US bans WeChat, TikTok from app stores, threatens shutdowns

The U.S. Commerce Department said it is prohibiting Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat from app stores as of Sunday, citing national security and data privacy concerns. Google and Apple, the owners of the major mobile app stores, did not immediately reply to questions. Oracle, which had proposed a deal with TikTok, also did not reply. TikTok said it’s disappointed. It’s not clear what will happen to WeChat, which has millions of U.S. users. A further ban on the much more popular TikTok