Navarro: 'Critical' Americans Avoid Chinese-Made Apps

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said Monday "it's critical" that people in the U.S. avoid using apps that were made in China, or send data to servers in China.

Navarro talked to Fox Business' "Mornings with Maria" about the Trump administration's efforts to force the sale of TikTok and its stance on WeChat, both of which were banned from continuing to operate in the U.S. under their Chinese owners in an executive order earlier this month.

"It's critical that this country not use apps that are made in China, or that can take our data and go to servers in China, because that data will be used to surveil, monitor and track you," Navarro said. "It will be used to steal your passwords, it will be used in some cases to try to blackmail or extort you.

"That's really the policy position underlying why we have gone after TikTok and WeChat — and there will be others," he continued, adding China "is basically going out around the world trying to acquire technology and influence," which President Donald Trump "is not going to put up with."

Navarro also singled out Huawei as another company that the U.S. sees as a national security threat.

"You're only one software update away with a Huawei phone from having your complete information taken away from you," he said. "You're going to have similar problems with these mobile apps. If they're benign today, that doesn't mean they're benign tomorrow."

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