Tencent crackdown on third-party WeChat backup tools sparks privacy debate
WeChat offers its own storage management feature, but some use third-party services for more functionality
Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings cited data privacy risks after its request to remove open-source WeChat export tools from GitHub sparked an online backlash.
Some of the projects claiming access to WeChat chat records have used reverse engineering, among other techniques, to crack local database keys, bypassing the app’s encryption mechanisms, according to Tencent.
“These actions compromise user privacy and data security and could be exploited by malicious actors,” Tencent said in a statement on Friday.
The Shenzhen-based firm added that most projects voluntarily removed the “non-compliant content” after it communicated with open-source platforms, which supported Tencent’s requests.
Earlier this month, Tencent, which owns Chinese super app WeChat, asked the Microsoft-backed developer platform GitHub to take down over 30 projects that allowed users to export and analyse their chat histories.
The move sparked controversy online. Some questioned whether users were losing control over how they access and manage their own WeChat data, while others backed Tencent and expressed concerns that such tools could be misused and result in leaks.