Google announced Tuesday it has suspended the Chinese shopping app Pinduoduo from its app store due to malware concerns, according to The Associated Press.
“Google Play Protect enforcement has been set to block installation attempts of these identified malicious apps,” Google said in its statement, according to the AP. “Users that have malicious versions of the app downloaded to their devices are warned and prompted to uninstall the app.”
Pinduoduo, owned by multinational commerce group PDD Holdings, is a major Chinese e-commerce app that started as a fresh agriculture platform and offers discounts for online shoppers, according to its website. Security concerns have been raised about Chinese-owned apps being used to spy on Americans.
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“We strongly reject the speculation and accusation that the Pinduoduo app is malicious just from a generic and non-conclusive response from Google,” a Pinduoduo spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We are communicating with Google for more information. We have been told that there are several other apps that have been suspended as well,” the spokesperson added.
The app is still available for download in the Apple iOS app store as of publication.
The U.S. government has also raised security concerns about Chinese-owned app TikTok. Late last month, Republican Texas Congressman Michael McCaul introduced a bill allowing President Joe Biden to ban TikTok nationwide, according to the Hill.
Earlier this month, FBI Director Christopher Wray told Republican Florida senator Marco Rubio in a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing that he believes the Chinese government could use its ties to TikTok owner ByteDance to control the software on American devices. Last week, the Treasury Department threatened to ban the app if ByteDance did not sell the company.
Google did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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