WeChat surveils international accounts to decide what to censor for Chinese users, study says
- Research group Citizen Lab finds WeChat screens overseas users for sensitive content, which it then bars from being received by Chinese accounts
- Findings are likely to add fuel to concerns in Washington about data security when Chinese tech firms are involved
WeChat, the Chinese messaging app, is systematically monitoring the content sent by international users to build up its censorship algorithms applied against accounts registered in China, a new study has found.
Researchers at Citizen Lab, an academic research lab at the University of Toronto, determined that WeChat screens images and documents shared by accounts registered outside China after they are sent, then adds the digital signature – or “hash” – of any files deemed sensitive to a blacklist. Those files then cannot be sent or received by China-registered users.
Numerous studies have identified WeChat’s use of censorship tools against China-linked accounts, but this research provides proof for the first time that non-China registered users are also swept up in its surveillance apparatus.
Published Thursday in a report called “We Chat, They Watch”, the Citizen Lab findings are likely to add fuel to existing concerns, particularly in Washington, about data security and the international reach of information control tools used by Chinese tech companies.
Earlier this year, Citizen Lab found evidence that WeChat blacklisted more than 500 keyword combinations relating to the coronavirus outbreak since the start of January, including text that referred to Dr Li Wenliang, the Wuhan whistle-blower.
“If users [of WeChat] weren’t concerned before, they should be very concerned now and re-evaluate the risks of using this application,” Ron Deibert, the Citizen Lab director, said of the new findings.
