A California judge over the weekend blocked the White House’s ban on WeChat from taking effect. The U.S. Commerce Department disagreed with the ruling Monday, saying it would challenge the judge’s decision and push for the ban on WeChat to take effect soon.
California District Judge Laurel Beeler said in Saturday’s ruling that the government’s actions would affect users’ First Amendment rights, according to the Associated Press. She also wrote that specific evidence that WeChat poses a national security threat is “negligible.
The U.S. Commerce Department said on Monday that “banning (WeChat) transactions to the extent determined to be necessary to protect U.S. national security, and the Commerce Department expects to seek relief from the ruling soon,” Reuters reports.
The Commerce Department’s injunction against WeChat is said to include a ban on WeChat’s access to U.S. app stores and basic U.S. Internet services as of 11:59 p.m. Sunday. However, Judge Beeler’s ruling prevents the ban from taking effect for now.
The report also said that WeChat is popular among Chinese Americans and is their lifeline to Chinese friends, family, customers and businesses. Earlier Monday, WeChat was still available for download from the Apple and Android app stores.
The AP report also said that the U.S. Department of Justice is evaluating the judge’s ruling.
Recent Comments