President of the United States Donald J. Trump has signed the executive order banning ByteDance, the parent company of popular short-video app TikTok, and WeChat, the messaging app owned by Tencent this Thursday, Aug. 6.
Tencent-Owned Gaming Companies
According to a report by Forbes, the executive order indicates that no American company could carry out commercial deals with both companies.
With that, gaming fans are worried whether Tencent-owned gaming companies like Epic Games and Riot, as well as the games they have developed and published like Fortnite, League of Legends, and Valorant, would be affected the order.
However, they won't be.
Based on the report, a White House official has confirmed to LA Times that the EO will only affect transactions regarding WeChat. So do not worry as all of your favorite games are currently safe from the executive order, which will end on Sept. 20, precisely 45 days after it has been signed.
"Video game companies owned by Tencent will NOT be affected by this executive order," LA Times reporter Sam Dean wrote in his post on his official Twitter account.
This was pretty much impossible to tell from the EO itself—I also had a moment that they were roping in Riot et al when I first read it—but "we just mean WeChat" is the WH line for tonight.
But banning all transactions on/with WeChat alone is still WILD. — Sam Dean (@SamAugustDean) August 7, 2020
Before the official announcement, people in the gaming industry related to these games and companies, along with their families, were a little anxious about how the executive order was written. It seemed like everything Tencent owned would be affected by the EO.
Fortunately, these games are safe for now, making millions heave a sigh of relief as these games are incredibly popular in the U.S.
Trump's Threat Against ByteDance
For those who are not aware, POTUS Trump has threatened to ban TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance, last week, saying that he will sign an executive order to ban TikTok's U.S. operations following privacy scandals involving the app.
According to a previous report by TechTimes, the White House believes the app and how it handles the personal data of its users is a threat to national security.
TikTok was believed to have been secretly gathering confidential data from its users and are sending the information they have gathered to the Chinese government, according to a proposed class-action lawsuit that has been filed in the California federal court in November 2019.
This year, the infamous hacktivist group Anonymous has also posted on their official Twitter account.
According to the group, people should delete the app and even called it "Chinese spyware," saying that the app is "essentially a malware operated by the Chinese government."
Companies Respond
Besides TikTok, the E.O. signed by the president is also focusing on another Chinese app known as WeChat, which, despite not being as popular as TikTok in the U.S., is still widely used worldwide, most notably in its home country.
After the E.O. has been signed, a Tencent spokesperson said that they are currently reviewing the order to get a full understanding and declined to comment any further.
Meanwhile, TikTok has responded to the ban, saying that the executive order was "issued without any due process," according to a report by TechCrunch.
Microsoft is planning on making a deal with ByteDance to buy the popular short-video app from them.
This article is owned by TechTimes.
Written by: Nhx Tingson
