Google suspends Chinese shopping app amid security concerns
Hong Kong, Mar 21: Google has suspended the Chinese shopping app Pinduoduo on its app store after malware was discovered in versions of the app from other sources.
Google said in a statement Tuesday that it suspended the Pinduoduo app on the Google Play app store out of "security concerns" and that it was investigating the matter.
The suspension of the Pinduoduo app - mainly used in China - comes amid heightened U.S.-China tensions over Chinese-owned apps such as TikTok, which some U.S. lawmakers say could be a national security threat.
They allege that such apps could be used to spy on American users.
Pinduoduo is a popular e-commerce app in China which often offers discounts if users team up to buy multiples of an item.
Google warned users Tuesday to uninstall any Pinduoduo app not downloaded from its own Play store.
Downloads of Android and even iOS apps can often be found on websites that allow people to download apps without going through official app stores.
"Google Play Protect enforcement has been set to block installation attempts of these identified malicious apps," Google said in its statement.
"Users that have malicious versions of the app downloaded to their devices are warned and prompted to uninstall the app."
It was unclear if there are similar security concerns around the Pinduoduo app for Apple users, and Pinduoduo was still available to download from Apple's iOS store Tuesday.
In a statement, Pinduoduo said that Google had not shared more details with the company beyond informing it that the current version of its app was "not compliant with Google's policy."
"We strongly reject the speculation and accusation that Pinduoduo app is malicious just from a generic and non-conclusive response from Google," Pinduoduo said in the statement.
Hong Kong traded shares in the company tumbled 14.2% on Tuesday.
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Had a very good conversation with friend Modi: Trump
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had a "very good conversation" with his "friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He was referring to the talks the two leaders had on Tuesday.
"I had a very good talk with him, and he's a friend of mine from India, and he's doing great. We had a very good conversation," Trump told reporters here as he headed to Las Vegas to address a roundtable on tax cuts.
Trump had called Modi on Tuesday to discuss the bilateral relationship and share perspectives on the situation in West Asia, where the US and Israel have launched a war on Iran.
The US and Iran declared a two-week ceasefire on April 7. They engaged in peace talks with Washington, insisting that Tehran give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment.
The war with Iran has sent gas prices soaring as Tehran blocked the sea lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow gateway for a fifth of global oil supplies.
During the Trump-Modi phone call on Tuesday, the two leaders stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure.
According to the US Ambassador to India Sergei Gor, the 40-minute conversation ended with Trump telling Modi, "we all love you".
Tuesday's phone call was the second between the two leaders since the US-Israel war with Iran began on February 28.
