WeChat is available in more than 200 countries and regions globally, including the UK. This means you may want to think twice before using WeChat to host any private conversations or share sensitive data. The app has backdoors that allow third parties to read the messages you send and receive”. WeChat does not offer end-to-end encryption, a privacy feature that users expect from most messaging apps. “While WeChat only censors users with phone numbers from mainland China, its surveillance is far-reaching. “Pictures, comments, and blog posts are subject to heavy censorship, with undesirable opinions disappearing quickly from the platform. “Like all services in China, is under constant government surveillance”, wrote NordVPN in a blog post in 2020. The app has also faced criticism for censorship in recent years. This means it’s possible for Tencent and third parties to intercept your messages if they so choose to, making the app significantly less secure than many of its rivals. One major difference between WeChat and other popular messaging apps like Signal or Telegram is that WeChat includes no form of encryption. There are also lots of third-party “Mini Programs” baked into WeChat that allow users to book flights, hail taxis, buy movie tickets, order food, see reviews for local restaurants, top-up their phone and compete in mini-games, to name just a few features. While WeChat began as a messaging app comparable to WhatsApp, the app has since developed into a fully-fledged social media platform with features like Moments allowing users to post images and videos similar to the Stories feature on Snapchat and Instagram. Tencent describes WeChat as “a free chat app for smartphones that offers free video and voice calls, videos, photos, games, stickers, and text messages to help you stay connected with the people who matter to you most”. As of March 2023, the app is the fifth most popular social media app worldwide, boasting more than 1.3 billion monthly active users ( via Statista). WeChat (also known as Weixin in China) is a Chinese instant messaging app, social media platform and mobile payment service developed by Shenzhen-based tech company Tencent.

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