NEW YORK – The Joe Biden administration yesterday asked a United States court to suspend litigation connected to former president Donald Trump’s proposed ban on WeChat while it reviews the policy.
The Justice Department (DoJ) filed a request with the Court of Appeals, seeking a suspension of the case.
It follows action on Wednesday, when the department asked a federal court for a pause on proceedings aimed at banning TikTok.
Newly installed Commerce Department officials have begun a review of the prior administration’s actions on WeChat, including “an evaluation of the underlying record justifying those prohibitions”, said DoJ in the filing.
“The government will then be better-positioned to determine” whether “the regulatory purpose of protecting the security of Americans and their data continues to warrant the identified prohibitions”, said the filing.
Trump issued an executive order last August, declaring both WeChat and TikTok as threats to national security because of data-collection practices affecting Americans.
However, US courts have blocked the bans from taking effect, leading to appeals lodged in the final months of the Trump administration seeking to override the lower courts.
DoJ said the Commerce Department “remains committed to a robust defence of national security, as well as ensuring the viability of our economy and preserving individual rights and data”. – AFP, February 12, 2021
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