[Fauntleroy]

This isn't an episode of Star Trek—we can't just take the "higher road" and expect the plot of reality to give us a win. China's been bullying us in the "app game" for a long time by simply disallowing our software in favor of Chinese competitors. What alternatives do we have other than starting to play hardball with them?

[ineedasername]

Realpolitik certainly needs to be a central consideration here, but it still seems a dangerous precedent to say "Americans are not allowed to use this app that facilitates 1st amendment rights".

If the problem is improper collection & use of data, we've be much better served by instituting strict privacy laws than ad-hoc bans by fiat. Even from a realpolitik standpoint, such a course of action has less potential for geo-political fallout because it is backed by legal statute rather than individual interpretation each scenario on the grounds of ill-defined "national security" or parity of trade.