User:Jares/sandbox

Security Concerns
The rise in the app’s popularity throughout the World has given politicians and dissidents concerns on the matter of security and privacy outside the realms of China. Voice messaging, a feature on WeChat, has caused users to fear that the service will allow the monitoring of users’ movements in real time by security officials. WeChat as well contains the ability to access the text messages, contact books of its users and users’ location through the GPS feature. Countries such as Taiwan, India, the United states, and China all fear that the app poses a threat to national security for various reasons.

Taiwan
In October, when the app was launched in Taiwan, legislators were concerned that the potential exposure of private communications was a threat to national security.

India
Researchers in India stated that the Chinese Internet Giant, Tencent, is a threat to national security based on the Chinese government’s ability to access chat logs, contact lists, messages, calls, and geographic locations. In June 2013, the Indian Intelligence Bureau flagged WeChat for security concerns. The Indian Intelligence Agency informed the National Security Advisor about WeChat and its messaging platform. The agency reported that the messaging platforms raised new cyber threats, focusing on India and accessing its data with the help of Tencent. Spokesperson of Tencent, Hu Chunnan, however stated that Tenecent and the app WeChat follows and complies to all relevant local laws and regulations. India has debated whether or not they should ban We Chat for its possibility in collecting too much personal information and data from its users.

United States
Western users voiced concerns on the lack of personal data protection and the safety of personal privacy issues, fearing that the Chinese Government will have too much access of its citizens’ information. Furthermore, US lawmakers fear that the telecommunications equipment sold by Huawei and ZTE, Chinese firms, lack overall security. Adam Segal, a Council on Foreign Relations cyber-security expert, stated that though an app may have been created in the US, it is not immune to cyber-attack.

China
Users in China have as well expressed fear in the privacy issues of the app, WeChat. Human rights activist, Hu Jia was jailed for three years for sedition. He speculates that the guobao officials, or the internal security bureau, listened to his voicemail messages that were directed to his friends, repeating the words displayed within the voice mail messages to Hu Jia. Chinese authorities have further accused the app for its threat to individual safety. CCTV, a state run broadcaster, featured a piece in which WeChat was described as an app that allows criminals an easy way in due to its location-reporting features. CCTV gave an example of such accusations through reporting the murder of Xu Xiaohong, a single woman who was murdered by a man she met on WeChat after he attempted to rob her. The location-reporting feature, according to reports, was the reason for the man’s knowing of the victim’s whereabouts. Authorities within China have linked WeChat to numerous crimes. The city of Hangzhou, for example, has reported over twenty crimes in the span of three months.

Supporters
Supporters of the app argue that WeChat is overall safe. Martin Johnson, a founder of the anti-censorship site GreatFire.org, states that WeChat is a less potential threat than the app Weibo based on WeChat’s focus on messaging between well-known acquaintances and social groups. Doug Young, a Shanghai-based author of the Party Line, notes that while the app may practice self-censorship within China, it however will not practice the same censorship ideals outside of China. Doing so, according to Doug Young, would affect the apps image and possibility in expanding globally.