[chrisco255]

They're not forced to sell. They would simply lose access to the US market. They've already lost access to the Indian market.

[analyst74]

Don't Google and Apple have to follow US law and ban the app in all markets?

[nine_zeros]

No. Trumps delayed ban is for a wiggle room for an American company (Microsoft) to acquire US and other non-China assets.

This effectively means that the app is not a national security threat but the ownership of it is.

And that threat was as determined by the executive without any charges.

I am opposed to such unilateral powers where the executive plays godfather and decides the rules of the game.

[abc-xyz]

Are you against executive orders in general or just this one?

Because surely one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, operated by the enemy, with access to troves of personal user data that can be used for election interference, blackmail, propaganda, etc. is a national security threat.

And yes, other social media platforms, including Facebook, pose national security threats as well, but it’s up to the elected officials to decide how significant the threat is, and when/if it’s necessary to take action. With regard to TikTok and WeChat, I’d say it’s long overdue, and I personally hope the list will be expanded to include all software and hardware operated by Chinese companies.

[nine_zeros]

I am against this one. If Congress comes with a bill which clearly defined which companies can be banned or forced to sell assets, I am ok with it because the rules are clearly defined.

However, with an executive order as this one, the rules of "national security" will keep changing with the political desires of the president in charge. Maybe someday a President will come and ask you to divest your Tesla shares because the President at the time doesn't like Elon musk. This is too much power in the hands of one person, especially an erratic one as the current POTUS.