Trump order targets Chinese Internet stars TikTok, WeChat

US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered sweeping restrictions against Chinese-owned social media stars TikTok and WeChat, which could strangle their ability to operate in the United States.

Trump's executive order, which takes effect in 45 days, bars anyone under US jurisdiction from doing business with TikTok or WeChat's owners.

It heaps pressure on ByteDance, TikTok's parent, to close negotiations to sell to Microsoft.

The TikTok mobile app has been downloaded some 175 million times in the US and more than a billion times around the world.

The US Senate voted on Thursday to bar TikTok from being downloaded onto US government employees' telephones.

The bill passed by the Republican-controlled Senate now goes to the House of Representatives, led by Democrats.

Several US agencies already bar employees from downloading TikTok onto their phones.

Trump has set a deadline of mid-September for TikTok to be acquired by a US firm or be banned in the United States.

Microsoft previously disclosed it was considering a deal for TikTok operations in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

TikTok's kaleidoscopic feeds of short video clips feature everything from hair dye tutorials to dance routines and jokes about daily life.

The company on Thursday announced plans for its first data center for European users, to be set up in Ireland.

WeChat is a messaging, social media, and electronic payment platform owned by TenCent Holdings and is reported to have more than a billion users.