China's Tencent rebrands WeChat work app as WeCom ahead of Trump ban

Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings has changed the name of its WeChat Work office collaboration app to WeCom, setting it up as a potential alternative to its messaging app WeChat ahead of a US ban. Two Tencent sources said WeCom does not fall under the scope of a ban on WeChat-related transactions in the United States from September 20, one of a series of US measures cracking down on Chinese tech firms and apps that Washington says are threats to national security. WeCom WORKAROUND US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is set to release regulations by Sunday clarifying which WeChat transactions will be prohibited under President Donald Trump's executive order. Tencent staff in the United States have historically used WeChat Work to communicate with the company's headquarters in Shenzhen.