US SANCTION: Facebook to yank off Huawei from its platform

Facebook said Friday it would cut off Huawei from its popular social networking apps to comply with U.S. sanctions, further isolating the Chinese tech giant considered a national security threat by Washington.

The social media giant said it took the step after President Donald Trump’s order barring Huawei from U.S. technology exports over concerns that it works with Chinese intelligence.

“We are reviewing the Commerce Department’s final rule and the more recently issued temporary general license and taking steps to ensure compliance,” a Facebook spokesperson revealed.

Read also: Google warns US govt of security implications over ban on Huawei

The California company said people with existing Huawei smartphones with Facebook apps will continue to be able to use and download app updates provided by Facebook.

The move by Facebook is the latest to isolate Huawei, which had become the world’s second largest smartphone vendor despite security concerns voiced in Washington.

Google last month said it would cut ties to Huawei, making it harder to obtain major apps from the U.S. giant.

The Google decision would leave Huawei without the Play Store, the marketplace for most Android apps, and other elements of the mobile operating system.

Facebook which is banned in China but has more than two billion users worldwide said its decision would affect its core social network as well as applications such as Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, which each have at least one billion users.

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