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Netizens upset after watchdog says it was able to retrieve deleted WeChat messages
“Does this mean I’ll have to smash my phone?” asked one user
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This article originally appeared on ABACUS
When you delete a WeChat message, is it really gone? That's what users in China are wondering after dozens of officials were punished -- thanks to chat logs that they thought were erased.
In a social media post, an anti-corruption body in an eastern Chinese city said authorities got hold of deleted WeChat conversations from a Communist Party official suspected of disciplinary violations, according to the South China Morning Post.
Based on those chats, investigators claimed they rounded up more suspects -- many of whom ended up confessing. In total, 63 people were punished.
But the biggest question remains: How did they access those files?
WeChat insists it wipes a message from company servers once it has reached all the recipients. But some has pointed out that China’s cybersecurity law requires internet companies to retain select data for at least six months.
WeChat’s owner, Tencent, says chat histories can only be found on a user’s devices -- not the company’s servers. If true, it would still be theoretically possible to retrieve deleted chats from the phone itself.
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