The Trump administration is pressing ahead with efforts to ban WeChat , the Chinese social-media app, appealing a preliminary injunction awarded in September to the WeChat Users Alliance. There is good reason to view this group, a self-described collection of “ordinary WeChat users” upset by the government’s ban, with skepticism. Its lawyers include two from DeHeng Law, a firm that was once owned by the Chinese state and remains a close partner of Beijing’s.

It is true that a ban of the ubiquitous app would have a significant effect on Chinese-Americans. WeChat is the primary communication platform for millions with family in China, and also generates leads for countless small businesses. The users alliance argues that protecting WeChat is tantamount to protecting free speech in America’s Chinese communities. But that hasn’t been my experience with the platform.

Read director Jason Loftus’ full op-ed in The Wall Street Journal