June 18, 2021

Sources told Reuters that after President Biden’s executive order to protect Americans’ sensitive data, the U.S. Department Of Commerce could issue subpoenas to collect information about certain software applications for smartphones, tablets and desktop computers and then negotiate terms for their use in the U.S. or ban the apps.

While this means that Chinese apps will be forced to take stricter measures and decisions to protect private information if they want to continue to operate in the U.S., the move will ensure that foreign adversaries such as China and Russia are prevented from gaining access to large amounts of data and business information.

According to the Federal Register, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will make the decision on which app will be targeted for the actions, which include being owned, controlled or administered by a person or entity that supports the military or intelligence activities of foreign adversaries such as Russia and China.

For more information, read the original story in Reuters.