<p>The United States has fired a new salvo in its rivalry with China, ordering sweeping restrictions against Chinese-owned social media stars TikTok and WeChat.</p>.<p>Here are some key facts about the platforms:</p>.<p>WeChat, known as "weixin" or micro-message in Chinese, belongs to tech giant Tencent and has grown to become ubiquitous in daily life across China since its 2011 launch.</p>.<p><strong>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/us-president-donald-trump-issues-orders-for-us-ban-on-wechat-tiktok-starting-in-45-days-870455.html" target="_blank">US President Donald Trump issues orders for US ban on WeChat, TikTok starting in 45 days</a></strong></p>.<p>It has more than a billion monthly users and is a "super app" used for everything from messaging to ride-hailing and mobile payments, while also serving as a social media platform.</p>.<p>Tencent surpassed Facebook's net worth after it became the first Asian firm to be valued at more than $500 billion in 2017.</p>.<p>The Hong Kong-listed company now has a market capitalisation of HK$5.32 trillion ($686 billion), compared with Facebook's $756 billion.</p>.<p>While WeChat is available in various languages, its main user base is in mainland China, where potential rivals such as Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service are barred from competing.</p>.<p>It is also a widely used among the Chinese diaspora, and foreigners doing business in the country, to keep in touch with people there.</p>.<p>Tencent has shares in many American companies, including electric-car maker Tesla, social media company Snap, and top games developers such as Riot Games, Epic Games and Activision Blizzard.</p>.<p>WeChat has been dogged by privacy concerns.</p>.<p>The platform censors content for all users registered with Chinese phone numbers, even if they go abroad or switch to an international number, according to a University of Toronto study from 2016.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/tiktok-microsoft-tie-can-grab-us-online-dominance-870102.html" target="_blank">TikTok, Microsoft tie can grab US online dominance</a></strong></p>.<p>Another report from the same university in May said accounts not registered in China were also subject to "pervasive content surveillance".</p>.<p>Chinese authorities routinely censor online content and block Western websites such as Facebook, Twitter and the New York Times.</p>.<p>WeChat's privacy policy says the platform only shares user information "where necessary" with governments and law enforcement agencies.</p>.<p>TikTok features kaleidoscopic feeds of short user-made videos of anything from hair-dye tutorials to choreographed dance routines.</p>.<p>It belongs to Chinese tech firm ByteDance and targets the international market while Douyin, a domestic version of the platform, caters exclusively to Chinese users.</p>.<p>TikTok has been downloaded more than 2 billion times since its 2017 launch, according to data from US-based research agency SensorTower.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/dh-galleries/photos/in-pics-facebook-and-tiktoks-fraught-history-870221" target="_blank">In Pics | Facebook and TikTok's fraught history</a></strong></p>.<p>The app is most popular among teenagers but has found fresh popularity during coronavirus lockdowns around the world as adults look for new ways to pass the time.</p>.<p>It attracted huge followings in the United States, Indonesia and other countries, but it recently became one of 59 Chinese mobile apps banned by India over national security and privacy concerns.</p>.<p>TikTok has in recent months sought to distance itself from its Chinese owners. It appointed former Disney executive Kevin Mayer, an American, as its new chief executive in May.</p>.<p>It also withdrew from Hong Kong shortly after China imposed a new security law on the city that gave police fresh powers to censor the internet -- a move that analysts said was an effort to avoid the suggestion it was a Chinese-controlled company.</p>.<p>But the app has nonetheless been accused of privacy breaches.</p>.<p>Trump previously set a deadline of mid-September for TikTok to be acquired by a US firm or be banned in the US.</p>.<p>Microsoft has expanded its talks on TikTok to a potential deal that would include buying the global operations of the fast-growing app, the Financial Times reported Thursday.</p>
<p>The United States has fired a new salvo in its rivalry with China, ordering sweeping restrictions against Chinese-owned social media stars TikTok and WeChat.</p>.<p>Here are some key facts about the platforms:</p>.<p>WeChat, known as "weixin" or micro-message in Chinese, belongs to tech giant Tencent and has grown to become ubiquitous in daily life across China since its 2011 launch.</p>.<p><strong>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/us-president-donald-trump-issues-orders-for-us-ban-on-wechat-tiktok-starting-in-45-days-870455.html" target="_blank">US President Donald Trump issues orders for US ban on WeChat, TikTok starting in 45 days</a></strong></p>.<p>It has more than a billion monthly users and is a "super app" used for everything from messaging to ride-hailing and mobile payments, while also serving as a social media platform.</p>.<p>Tencent surpassed Facebook's net worth after it became the first Asian firm to be valued at more than $500 billion in 2017.</p>.<p>The Hong Kong-listed company now has a market capitalisation of HK$5.32 trillion ($686 billion), compared with Facebook's $756 billion.</p>.<p>While WeChat is available in various languages, its main user base is in mainland China, where potential rivals such as Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service are barred from competing.</p>.<p>It is also a widely used among the Chinese diaspora, and foreigners doing business in the country, to keep in touch with people there.</p>.<p>Tencent has shares in many American companies, including electric-car maker Tesla, social media company Snap, and top games developers such as Riot Games, Epic Games and Activision Blizzard.</p>.<p>WeChat has been dogged by privacy concerns.</p>.<p>The platform censors content for all users registered with Chinese phone numbers, even if they go abroad or switch to an international number, according to a University of Toronto study from 2016.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/tiktok-microsoft-tie-can-grab-us-online-dominance-870102.html" target="_blank">TikTok, Microsoft tie can grab US online dominance</a></strong></p>.<p>Another report from the same university in May said accounts not registered in China were also subject to "pervasive content surveillance".</p>.<p>Chinese authorities routinely censor online content and block Western websites such as Facebook, Twitter and the New York Times.</p>.<p>WeChat's privacy policy says the platform only shares user information "where necessary" with governments and law enforcement agencies.</p>.<p>TikTok features kaleidoscopic feeds of short user-made videos of anything from hair-dye tutorials to choreographed dance routines.</p>.<p>It belongs to Chinese tech firm ByteDance and targets the international market while Douyin, a domestic version of the platform, caters exclusively to Chinese users.</p>.<p>TikTok has been downloaded more than 2 billion times since its 2017 launch, according to data from US-based research agency SensorTower.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/dh-galleries/photos/in-pics-facebook-and-tiktoks-fraught-history-870221" target="_blank">In Pics | Facebook and TikTok's fraught history</a></strong></p>.<p>The app is most popular among teenagers but has found fresh popularity during coronavirus lockdowns around the world as adults look for new ways to pass the time.</p>.<p>It attracted huge followings in the United States, Indonesia and other countries, but it recently became one of 59 Chinese mobile apps banned by India over national security and privacy concerns.</p>.<p>TikTok has in recent months sought to distance itself from its Chinese owners. It appointed former Disney executive Kevin Mayer, an American, as its new chief executive in May.</p>.<p>It also withdrew from Hong Kong shortly after China imposed a new security law on the city that gave police fresh powers to censor the internet -- a move that analysts said was an effort to avoid the suggestion it was a Chinese-controlled company.</p>.<p>But the app has nonetheless been accused of privacy breaches.</p>.<p>Trump previously set a deadline of mid-September for TikTok to be acquired by a US firm or be banned in the US.</p>.<p>Microsoft has expanded its talks on TikTok to a potential deal that would include buying the global operations of the fast-growing app, the Financial Times reported Thursday.</p>