Michael R. Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, announced the “Clean Network Program” which aims to ban the so-called “untrusted” carriers, applications, mobile application stores, cloud service providers, operators of undersea cables connecting the United States and the global internet on August 5, 2020. Companies that are involved in these businesses, or entities that transact with or rely on vendors that might be impacted are advised to keep abreast of further developments and additional announcements from the U.S. Government regarding the scope of the sanctions in connection with the “Clean Network Program” to assess and plan for contingencies with respect to their business operations and cross-border communication between the United States and other parts of the world.

On August 6, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) attempting to ban the use of WeChat and other “untrusted” technology companies to be identified by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, with effect on September 20, 2020. Any U.S. businesses that transact with those companies should promptly consider alternatives.

Our recent client alert explains the EO and how it may affect your business.