Controversies

WeChat responds to dialect data collection controversy, says abnormal texts cleaned

Company response

WeChat's product team responded to user concerns about the quality of texts used in its dialect collection activity, saying the texts were randomly synthesized by an algorithm and that abnormal content has been cleaned up. The team said collected voice data is used only to improve dialect recognition services and will not be provided to third parties.

U.S. WeChat users sue Tencent over alleged monitoring and censorship

Lawsuit filed

A group of U.S. WeChat users and Citizen Power Initiatives for China sued Tencent, alleging that monitoring and censorship of communications violated privacy rights. The plaintiffs sought a court order allowing them to use the app without political censorship and surveillance. Tencent did not comment on the report.

Court rules in Tencent’s unfair-competition case

Ruling

Nanjing Intermediate People’s Court ruled that a company providing a platform for buying and selling WeChat accounts constituted unfair competition against Tencent and ordered it to pay Tencent RMB 1.09 million and publish a statement on its website.

Court rules in Tencent unfair-competition case against Ant Help

Ruling

Shanghai Pudong New Area People's Court ruled in the first instance that Qifu Technology's conduct involving WeChat account trading and supporting false advertising constituted unfair competition, ordering it to stop the conduct, publish a statement to eliminate the impact, and pay the plaintiffs RMB 3 million.

Beijing prosecutors sue WeChat over minors' rights

Lawsuit filed

Beijing's Haidian District Procuratorate announced that it had sued WeChat, alleging infringement of minors' lawful rights and interests, and invited organizations planning to sue Tencent to contact the prosecutors.

Procuratorate files public-interest lawsuit concerning WeChat Youth Mode

Lawsuit filed

The Haidian District People's Procuratorate in Beijing announced that it had filed a civil public-interest lawsuit against Tencent concerning WeChat's Youth Mode.

Court orders compensation in Tencent-related WeChat system dispute

Ruling

A civil second-instance judgment in an unfair competition dispute found that Lianluoyi and Dengtang had used the WeChat software name and logo in promotion of a system, and ordered Lianluoyi to pay Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) and Tencent Computer Systems 10 million yuan in damages and reasonable expenses; Dengtang was jointly liable for 3 million yuan of that amount.

Court rules in WeChat-related defamation case

Ruling

The Beijing Internet Court found that an online article published by the defendants harmed public perceptions of WeChat and its operator, constituted an infringement of the plaintiffs’ reputation rights, and ordered the defendants to publish an apology and pay a total of 76,800 yuan in damages and reasonable expenses.

Court dismisses claim over WeChat friend-relationship data

Ruling

The Harbin Xiangfang District People's Court dismissed Mr. Wang's claims against Tencent, finding that the WeChat friend relationships he claimed were private did not constitute his privacy and that related user-relationship information could be reasonably used in affiliated products subject to legal requirements.

ByteDance sues Tencent over alleged monopolistic conduct

Lawsuit filed

ByteDance sued Tencent in Beijing, alleging that Tencent violated Chinese antitrust laws by blocking access to Douyin content on WeChat and QQ. ByteDance sought an order to stop the conduct and 90 million yuan in compensation. Tencent called the accusations false and malicious and said it had not received lawsuit materials.

Douyin files antitrust lawsuit against Tencent

Lawsuit filed

Douyin said it filed an antitrust lawsuit against Tencent at the Beijing Intellectual Property Court, alleging that Tencent restricted sharing of Douyin content through WeChat and QQ and seeking an order to stop the conduct and compensation. The source reports allegations, not a court determination.

Content moderation, account blocking, and political censorship concerns

WeChat has faced sustained criticism over the removal or restriction of content and accounts involving politically sensitive topics, LGBTQ communities, Hong Kong, alleged rumors, scams, sexual material, and material considered threatening to national security or public order. Critics argue that opaque enforcement and the centrality of WeChat to daily life can make account suspensions especially consequential.

Privacy and cross-border data-access controversy

Researchers and civil-society groups have raised concerns about differences between Weixin and international WeChat privacy policies, the storage and transfer of user data, and the possibility that information associated with international accounts may be accessed remotely from mainland China or disclosed under legal requests.

WeChat removes articles and bans accounts over overseas pandemic stories

Company response

In March 2020, WeChat stated that it had taken action against content related to overseas pandemic stories. According to the company, it removed nearly 100 articles that it considered potentially exaggerated and misleading. It also banned 50 violating public accounts operating under three entities, and it removed nicknames from 70 accounts that had improperly used country or place names. The measures were described by WeChat as enforcement against content and account practices it deemed inconsistent with its rules.

WeChat said it had removed nearly 100 articles it considered potentially exaggerated and misleading, banned 50 violating public accounts under three entities, and removed nicknames from 70 accounts that improperly used country or place names.

WeChat team sues five people over counterfeit-mask sales

Lawsuit filed

The WeChat team filed civil lawsuits against five people accused of selling counterfeit masks using WeChat, seeking public apologies and RMB 1 million in damages from each. The court formally accepted the cases on March 10, 2020.

US executive orders restrict transactions with TikTok and WeChat

Ban or restriction

In August 2020, President Trump signed executive orders prohibiting transactions involving TikTok or WeChat and persons or property subject to US jurisdiction; the orders were to take effect in 45 days. The orders cited national security concerns, including allegations that the apps provided channels for access to Americans' proprietary information and spread disinformation for the Chinese Communist Party's interests. The measures applied to transactions involving the two applications and parties under US jurisdiction.

Tencent responds to incident involving a WeChat account ban

Company response

In August 2020, Tencent responded to reports that a person had jumped from a building after a WeChat account was banned. According to the company's statement, the account in question had violated rules. Tencent also stated that its employees had not communicated or interacted with the person involved before the incident. The response addressed public reports linking the account ban to the reported fall; the available statement did not provide further details beyond the account violation and the denial of employee contact.

Tencent responded to reports that someone had jumped from a building after a WeChat account was banned, saying the account had violated rules and that company employees had not communicated or interacted with the person.

US WeChat users sue over the US ban

Lawsuit filed

A group of US WeChat users filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, alleging that his executive order targeting WeChat violated their constitutional rights. According to the report, the lawsuit was submitted to the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The report describes the plaintiffs as US WeChat users and identifies the challenged action as an executive order aimed at WeChat. It does not specify the number of plaintiffs, the legal claims in detail, or any ruling or outcome. The account is limited to the filing of the suit and the court to which it was sent.

A group of US WeChat users sued President Donald Trump, alleging that his executive order targeting WeChat violated their constitutional rights. The article says the lawsuit was sent to the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

Tencent sues operators of OK WeChat Manager

Lawsuit filed

In a controversy involving WeChat, Tencent sued the companies operating the software “ok微信管家” (OK WeChat Manager). According to the report, Tencent alleged that the operators violated the Anti-Unfair Competition Law and sought 10 million yuan in damages. The report further states that Tencent claimed the software could access WeChat users' information and private data. The event was reported on December 8, 2020.

Tencent sued the companies operating “ok微信管家,” alleging a violation of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law and seeking 10 million yuan in damages. The report says Tencent claimed the software could access WeChat users’ information and private data.

Li Wenliang group-chat censorship controversy

During the early COVID-19 outbreak, reports that Wuhan authorities had treated Li Wenliang's private discussion about a SARS-like illness as a rumor became a symbol of concerns over censorship, platform monitoring, and the chilling effects of content controls. The summons and admonition directed at Li were later revoked.