Social media platforms hold different levels of prominence around the world. In China, WeChat is the platform that is predominantly used for communication. It acts as a ‘one-stop-shop’ where people can pay with the app, call a cab with the app, and so on. What are the ethical implications that allow WeChat, an incredibly powerful platform, to be accepted by the Chinese government?
⁃ close to 1 billion users (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-12/china-s-latest-crackdown-on-message-groups-chills-wechat-users) ⁃ owned by tencent holdings ltd (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-12/china-s-latest-crackdown-on-message-groups-chills-wechat-users) ⁃ 38 billion messages sent on the platform every day (https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/16721230/wechat-china-app-mini-programs-messaging-electronic-id-system) ⁃ inside WeChat, you can play games, pay bills, find local hangouts, book doctor appointments, file police reports, hail taxis, hold video conferences, and access bank services (https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/16721230/wechat-china-app-mini-programs-messaging-electronic-id-system) ⁃ integrate WeChat with china’s electronic id system beginning of feb 2018 (https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/16721230/wechat-china-app-mini-programs-messaging-electronic-id-system)
Contents
About WeChat
WeChat is a social media communication platform that is used by close to 1 billion people around the world, with the majority of users being in China. Tencent Holdings Limited started the platform in 2011, and currently owns it. WeChat has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, and is now estimated to be responsible for the exchange of 38 billion messages daily. While its primary function is to allow communication between users, it has developed into a multi-purpose, one-stop-shop for a variety of things. Through WeChat, users can “play games, pay bills, find local hangout, book doctor appointments, file police reports, hail taxis, hold video conferences, and access bank services”, and that isn’t even the extensive list of all WeChat’s functionalities. WeChat has also been in talks with the Chinese government to move even closer to becoming China’s official app by integrating individuals’ official, state-issued ID into the platform.
⁃ subsidized by gov since 2011 creation (https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/16721230/wechat-china-app-mini-programs-messaging-electronic-id-system)
⁃ users initially went to WeChat because of more lenient restrictions and censorship after weibo corp (chinese twitter) became heavily censored and focused on real identity in order to identify those with opinions conflicting with the governments
The Rise of WeChat
Ever since WeChat was created in 2011, the Chinese government has subsidized it. In this sense, the government has had a certain hold on the platform from the very beginning. In spite of this situation, WeChat was not heavily censored or monitored in its early days. Weibo, China’s Twitter, was used by a significantly larger number of people, and received most of the government’s attention. The government began cracking down on Weibo user’s real identities, and was able to easily identify anyone who had opinions that differed from the governments. Weibo users began moving to WeChat as their main platform for communication because of the less stringent censorship, which is what initially led WeChat to gain traction in China. Naturally, the higher the number of users WeChat received, the more monitoring the government put onto the platform, restarting the cycle that led users away from Weibo. ⁃ amnesty international report on user privacy gave tencent a 0/100 (https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/16721230/wechat-china-app-mini-programs-messaging-electronic-id-system) ⁃ WeChat performs censorship on the server-side (https://qz.com/960948/what-happens-when-you-try-to-send-politically-sensitive-messages-on-wechat/) ⁃ does not have end to end encryption (https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/16721230/wechat-china-app-mini-programs-messaging-electronic-id-system) ⁃ WeChat also states in its privacy policy that it may retain user data for “as long as is necessary” to “comply with applicable laws and regulations.” (https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/16721230/wechat-china-app-mini-programs-messaging-electronic-id-system) ⁃ “rest assured, respecting user privacy has always been one of WeChat’s most important principles.” comment by tencent (https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/16721230/wechat-china-app-mini-programs-messaging-electronic-id-system) ⁃ china made claims that they didn’t censor the internet or blog vpns (this was false) (https://thenextweb.com/insider/2017/08/11/china-censorship-officials-begin-investigating-social-media-for-illegal-content/)
WeChat Privacy
It is clear now that there are many things setting WeChat apart from platforms in China that are either blocked or censored to the point where they lose their usability (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp). There are significant differences between the privacy policy and encryption of WeChat, and those of blocked platforms in China. For starters, WeChat doesn’t use end-to-end encryption. Instead, they censor messages and posts on the server side, meaning that no message is truly private. Additionally, WeChat’s privacy policy includes a section that states that user data will be retained for as long as it is needed in order to follow government laws. Given these excessive censorship methods, Tencent (developed WeChat) was given a 0/100 on Amnesty International’s report on user privacy. In spite of all these facts, Tencent would still like users to “rest assured, respecting user privacy has always been one of WeChat’s most important principles”, and China had previously claimed that they didn’t censor the Internet or block VPNs.
⁃ among words censored are ’xitler’, after president xi jing ping, middle way + dalai lama, 1989 year + crackdown on students, Xi Jinping Took Office + Officials Commit Suicide + Abnormal Death (https://qz.com/960948/what-happens-when-you-try-to-send-politically-sensitive-messages-on-wechat/) ⁃ things that trigger censorship are updated with real life events (https://qz.com/960948/what-happens-when-you-try-to-send-politically-sensitive-messages-on-wechat/)
Banned Words and Phrases
The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab research group recently did a study of specific words banned by the government. The current list includes some expected words and phrases, but also some more obscure ones. Among censored words and phrases are ‘Xitler’ (a play on words with the name of China’s current president, Xi Jin Ping), Middle Way + Dalai Lama (when used in conjunction with one another), 1989 year + crackdown on students, and Xi Jinping took office + officials commit suicide + abnormal death. This list is constantly updated with the evolution of real life events, so there isn’t huge gain to be made by deciphering all of the currently blocked words.
⁃ groups of as much as 500 people. group administrators responsible for the actions of those in the groups/self-censorship bc of large scale of people (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-12/china-s-latest-crackdown-on-message-groups-chills-wechat-users)
Self-Censorship
The government recently rolled out a new initiative to encourage social media users to self-censor their activity online. They gave group administrators full responsibility for topics discussed in their groups, meaning that if one member of the group were to speak against the government, the facilitator of the group would be blamed. Given WeChat’s capability of holding upwards of 500 people in a single group, this is a heavy responsibility for administrators to bear. Naturally, this scared many people into avoiding groups as administrators, and even deleting groups that they were previously administrators for.
⁃ messages that are blocked are never sent. they also do not inform the sender that the message was blocked (https://qz.com/960948/what-happens-when-you-try-to-send-politically-sensitive-messages-on-wechat/). blocked posts can still be seen by the poster, but they aren’t informed that no one else can see it
Blocked Messages
Historically, WeChat users would be informed if a photo they posted or a message they sent contained sensitive content that didn’t allow it to be delivered. However, WeChat changed their way of handling the matter by removing the notification that the message sent had been blocked. Now, WeChat users are able to see their own blocked messages and photos, but will never know whether it was actually delivered to the receiving end unless they specifically ask the person.
⁃ as WeChat adds more functionalities, it becomes harder to leave. it has become the phone, rather than a singular app on the phone. (https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/16721230/wechat-china-app-mini-programs-messaging-electronic-id-system)
⁃ in china, it’s more or less understood that the government will monitor your conversations and ‘have access to your life’
⁃ “It’s not an issue over there because you don’t have any privacy.” - willy shih, harvard business school professor of management (https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/16721230/wechat-china-app-mini-programs-messaging-electronic-id-system)
⁃ starting in 2015, 250 human rights lawyers and workers have been imprisoned (also known as the 709 crackdown for the disappearances of the first two lawyers july 9th) (http://fortune.com/2017/04/14/china-wechat-tencent-censorship-709-crackdown/)
The Future of WeChat and Privacy
Willy Shih, a Harvard Business School Professor of Management, stated when asked about privacy in China, “It’s not an issue over there because you don’t have any privacy”. On a similar note, Matt Wright, director of emerging markets at AngelHack, stated, “in mainland China, it’s very culturally ingrained that the government has access to your life essentially”. This spotlights a serious ethical issue that needs to be confronted, but WeChat is doing the exact opposite. By working in conjunction with the government, WeChat is bringing the government one step closer to gaining complete control over communication in China and is responsible for the country taking steps backwards in the realm of human rights (LINK 709 CRACKDOWN). As WeChat develops more use cases, it will become increasingly difficult for users to leave the platform. Leaving the platform will mean needing to carry around physical credit cards, finding new ways to perform daily tasks such as calling a taxi, and overall, leaving convenience and community behind. This increase in use cases is happening simultaneously with the increase in government censorship, and raises uncertainty for the future of WeChat and whether the government will seize complete control over it.
