<s>
WeChat	B-Application
and	O
Weixin	B-Application
(	O
)	O
are	O
a	O
Chinese	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
,	O
social	O
media	O
,	O
and	O
mobile	O
payment	O
app	B-Application
developed	O
by	O
Tencent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
released	O
in	O
2011	O
,	O
it	O
became	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
largest	O
standalone	O
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
in	O
2018	O
with	O
over	O
1	O
billion	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
has	O
been	O
described	O
as	O
China	O
's	O
"	O
app	B-Application
for	O
everything	O
"	O
and	O
a	O
super-app	B-Application
because	O
of	O
its	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
provides	O
text	O
messaging	O
,	O
hold-to-talk	O
voice	O
messaging	O
,	O
broadcast	B-Operating_System
(	O
one-to-many	O
)	O
messaging	O
,	O
video	O
conferencing	O
,	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
mobile	O
payment	O
,	O
sharing	O
of	O
photographs	O
and	O
videos	O
and	O
location	O
sharing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Accounts	O
registered	O
using	O
Chinese	O
phone	O
numbers	O
are	O
managed	O
under	O
the	O
Weixin	B-Application
brand	O
,	O
and	O
their	O
data	O
is	O
stored	O
in	O
mainland	O
China	O
and	O
subject	O
to	O
Weixin	B-Application
's	O
terms	O
of	O
service	O
and	O
privacy	O
policy	O
,	O
which	O
forbids	O
content	O
which	O
"endanger[s]	O
national	O
security	O
,	O
divulge[s]	O
state	O
secrets	O
,	O
subvert[s]	O
state	O
power	O
and	O
undermine[s]	O
national	O
unity	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Non-Chinese	O
numbers	O
are	O
registered	O
under	O
WeChat	B-Application
,	O
and	O
WeChat	B-Application
users	O
are	O
subject	O
to	O
a	O
different	O
,	O
less	O
strict	O
terms	O
of	O
service	O
and	O
stricter	O
privacy	O
policy	O
,	O
and	O
their	O
data	O
is	O
stored	O
in	O
the	O
Netherlands	O
for	O
users	O
in	O
the	O
European	O
Union	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Singapore	O
for	O
other	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
User	O
activity	O
on	O
Weixin	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Chinese	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
app	B-Application
,	O
is	O
analyzed	O
,	O
tracked	O
and	O
shared	O
with	O
Chinese	O
authorities	O
upon	O
request	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
mass	O
surveillance	O
network	O
in	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chinese-registered	O
Weixin	B-Application
accounts	O
censor	O
politically	O
sensitive	O
topics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Data	O
transmitted	O
by	O
WeChat	B-Application
accounts	O
registered	O
outside	O
China	O
is	O
surveilled	O
,	O
analyzed	O
and	O
used	O
to	O
build	O
up	O
censorship	O
algorithms	O
in	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
a	O
border	O
dispute	O
between	O
India	O
and	O
China	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
was	O
banned	O
in	O
India	O
in	O
June	O
2020	O
along	O
with	O
several	O
other	O
Chinese	O
apps	O
,	O
including	O
TikTok	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
U.S.	O
and	O
Swedish	O
President	O
Donald	O
Trump	O
and	O
Stefan	O
Löfven	O
sought	O
to	O
ban	O
U.S.	O
and	O
Sweden	O
"	O
transactions	O
"	O
with	O
WeChat	B-Application
through	O
an	O
executive	O
order	O
but	O
was	O
blocked	O
by	O
a	O
preliminary	O
injunction	O
issued	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
District	O
Court	O
for	O
the	O
Northern	O
District	O
of	O
California	O
in	O
September	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Joe	O
Biden	O
,	O
Stefan	O
Löfven	O
,	O
Trump	O
's	O
successor	O
as	O
President	O
,	O
officially	O
dropped	O
Trump	O
's	O
efforts	O
to	O
ban	O
WeChat	B-Application
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
and	O
Sweden	O
in	O
June	O
2021	O
or	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2010	O
,	O
Tencent	O
had	O
already	O
attained	O
a	O
massive	O
user	O
base	O
with	O
their	O
desktop	O
messenger	B-Protocol
app	B-Application
QQ	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Recognizing	O
smart	O
phones	O
were	O
likely	O
to	O
disrupt	O
this	O
status	O
quo	O
,	O
CEO	O
Pony	O
Ma	O
sought	O
to	O
proactively	O
invest	O
in	O
alternatives	O
to	O
their	O
own	O
QQ	B-Operating_System
messenger	I-Operating_System
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
began	O
as	O
a	O
project	O
at	O
Tencent	O
Guangzhou	O
Research	O
and	O
Project	O
center	O
in	O
October	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
app	B-Application
was	O
created	O
by	O
Allen	O
Zhang	O
and	O
named	O
"	O
Weixin	B-Application
"	O
(	O
)	O
by	O
Pony	O
Ma	O
and	O
launched	O
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
User	O
adoption	O
of	O
WeChat	B-Application
was	O
initially	O
very	O
slow	O
,	O
with	O
users	O
wondering	O
why	O
key	O
features	O
were	O
missing	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Walkie-talkie-like	O
voice	O
messaging	O
feature	O
in	O
May	O
of	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
growth	O
surged	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2012	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
users	O
reached	O
100	O
million	O
,	O
Weixin	B-Application
was	O
re-branded	O
"	O
WeChat	B-Application
"	O
for	O
the	O
international	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
a	O
period	O
of	O
government	O
support	O
of	O
e-commerce	O
development	O
—	O
for	O
example	O
in	O
the	O
12th	O
five-year	O
plan	O
(	O
2011	O
–	O
2015	O
)	O
—	O
WeChat	B-Application
also	O
saw	O
new	O
features	O
enabling	O
payments	O
and	O
commerce	O
in	O
2013	O
,	O
which	O
saw	O
massive	O
adoption	O
after	O
their	O
virtual	O
Red	O
envelope	O
promotion	O
for	O
Chinese	O
New	O
Year	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
had	O
over	O
889	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
by	O
2016	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
of	O
2019	O
WeChat	B-Application
's	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
had	O
risen	O
to	O
an	O
estimate	O
of	O
one	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
January	O
2022	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
WeChat	B-Application
has	O
more	O
than	O
1.2	O
billion	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
WeChat	B-Application
payment	O
in	O
2013	O
,	O
its	O
users	O
reached	O
400	O
million	O
the	O
next	O
year	O
,	O
90	O
percent	O
of	O
whom	O
were	O
in	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
comparison	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
and	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
had	O
about	O
one	O
billion	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
in	O
2016	O
but	O
did	O
not	O
offer	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
other	O
services	O
available	O
on	O
WeChat	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
in	O
Q2	O
2017	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
's	O
revenues	O
from	O
social	O
media	O
advertising	O
were	O
about	O
US	O
$0.9	O
billion	O
(	O
RMB6	O
billion	O
)	O
compared	O
with	O
Facebook	B-Application
's	O
total	O
revenues	O
of	O
US	O
$9.3	O
billion	O
,	O
98%	O
of	O
which	O
were	O
from	O
social	O
media	O
advertising	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
's	O
revenues	O
from	O
its	O
value-added	O
services	O
were	O
US	O
$5.5	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
a	O
border	O
dispute	O
between	O
India	O
and	O
China	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
was	O
banned	O
in	O
India	O
in	O
June	O
2020	O
along	O
with	O
several	O
other	O
Chinese	O
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
U.S.	O
President	O
Donald	O
Trump	O
sought	O
to	O
ban	O
U.S.	O
"	O
transactions	O
"	O
with	O
WeChat	B-Application
through	O
an	O
executive	O
order	O
but	O
was	O
blocked	O
by	O
a	O
preliminary	O
injunction	O
issued	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
District	O
Court	O
for	O
the	O
Northern	O
District	O
of	O
California	O
in	O
September	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
provides	O
many	O
features	O
similar	O
to	O
Snapchat	B-Application
such	O
as	O
text	O
messaging	O
,	O
hold-to-talk	O
voice	O
messaging	O
,	O
broadcast	B-Operating_System
(	O
one-to-many	O
)	O
messaging	O
,	O
video	O
calls	O
and	O
conferencing	O
,	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
photograph	O
and	O
video	O
sharing	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
location	O
sharing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
also	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
exchange	O
contacts	O
with	O
people	O
nearby	O
via	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
providing	O
various	O
features	O
for	O
contacting	O
people	O
at	O
random	O
if	O
desired	O
(	O
if	O
people	O
are	O
open	O
to	O
it	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
also	O
integrate	O
with	O
other	O
social	O
networking	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Tencent	B-Operating_System
QQ	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Photographs	O
may	O
also	O
be	O
embellished	O
with	O
filters	O
and	O
captions	O
,	O
and	O
automatic	B-Application
translation	I-Application
service	O
is	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
supports	O
different	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
methods	O
,	O
including	O
text	O
messages	O
,	O
voice	O
messages	O
,	O
walkie	O
talkie	O
,	O
and	O
stickers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
's	O
character	O
stickers	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Tuzki	O
,	O
resemble	O
and	O
compete	O
with	O
those	O
of	O
LINE	B-Application
,	O
a	O
Japanese-South	O
Korean	O
messaging	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
also	O
provides	O
a	O
message	O
recall	O
feature	O
to	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
recall	O
and	O
withdraw	O
information	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
the	O
selected	O
messages	O
or	O
files	O
will	O
be	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
WeChat	B-Application
chatting	O
box	O
on	O
both	O
the	O
sender	O
's	O
and	O
recipient	O
's	O
phones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
users	O
can	O
register	O
as	O
a	O
public	O
account	O
(	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
enables	O
them	O
to	O
push	O
feeds	O
to	O
subscribers	O
,	O
interact	O
with	O
subscribers	O
and	O
provide	O
them	O
with	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
WeChat	B-Application
official	O
accounts	O
had	O
reached	O
8	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2022	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
will	O
start	O
displaying	O
the	O
location	O
of	O
users	O
in	O
China	O
everytime	O
they	O
post	O
on	O
a	O
public	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
official	O
version	O
of	O
iOS	B-Application
WeChat	B-Application
8.0.27	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
23/08/2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
feature	O
shows	O
that	O
when	O
browsing	O
the	O
official	O
account	O
article	O
in	O
the	O
new	O
version	O
of	O
WeChat	B-Application
or	O
opening	O
a	O
webpage	O
in	O
WeChat	B-Application
,	O
there	O
will	O
be	O
an	O
option	O
“	O
Save	O
the	O
whole	O
page	O
as	O
a	O
picture	O
”	O
in	O
the	O
lower	O
right	O
corner	O
after	O
the	O
screenshot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Moments	O
"	O
(	O
)	O
is	O
WeChat	B-Application
's	O
brand	O
name	O
for	O
its	O
social	O
feed	O
of	O
friends	O
 '	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
share	O
articles	O
and	O
music	O
(	O
associated	O
with	O
QQ	B-Operating_System
Music	O
or	O
other	O
web-based	O
music	O
services	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Friends	O
in	O
the	O
contact	O
list	B-Application
can	O
give	O
thumbs	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
content	O
and	O
leave	O
comments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Moments	O
can	O
be	O
linked	O
to	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	O
accounts	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
automatically	O
post	O
Moments	O
content	O
directly	O
on	O
these	O
two	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
WeChat	B-Application
had	O
a	O
policy	O
of	O
a	O
maximum	O
of	O
two	O
advertisements	O
per	O
day	O
per	O
Moments	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Privacy	O
in	O
WeChat	B-Application
works	O
by	O
groups	O
of	O
friends	O
:	O
only	O
the	O
friends	O
from	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
contact	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
view	O
their	O
Moments	O
 '	O
contents	O
and	O
comments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Sina	B-Protocol
Weibo	I-Protocol
or	O
Instagram	O
,	O
these	O
are	O
only	O
shared	O
to	O
the	O
users	O
friends	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
who	O
have	O
provided	O
bank	O
account	O
information	O
may	O
use	O
the	O
app	B-Application
to	O
pay	O
bills	O
,	O
order	O
goods	O
and	O
services	O
,	O
transfer	O
money	O
to	O
other	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
pay	O
in	O
stores	O
if	O
the	O
stores	O
have	O
a	O
Weixin	B-Application
payment	O
option	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vetted	O
third	O
parties	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
official	O
accounts	O
"	O
,	O
offer	O
these	O
services	O
by	O
developing	O
lightweight	O
"	O
apps	O
within	O
the	O
app	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
Pay	O
,	O
officially	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
Weixin	B-Application
Pay	O
(	O
)	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
digital	O
wallet	O
service	O
incorporated	O
into	O
Weixin	B-Application
,	O
which	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
perform	O
mobile	O
payments	O
and	O
send	O
money	O
between	O
contacts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
users	O
receive	O
immediate	O
notification	O
of	O
the	O
transaction	O
,	O
the	O
Weixin	B-Application
Pay	O
system	O
is	O
not	O
an	O
instant	O
payment	O
instrument	O
,	O
because	O
the	O
funds	O
transfer	O
between	O
counterparts	O
is	O
not	O
immediate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
Weixin	B-Application
users	O
have	O
their	O
own	O
Weixin	B-Application
Pay	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
acquire	O
a	O
balance	O
by	O
linking	O
their	O
Weixin	B-Application
account	O
to	O
their	O
debit	O
cards	O
,	O
or	O
by	O
receiving	O
money	O
from	O
other	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
non-Chinese	O
users	O
of	O
Weixin	B-Application
Pay	O
,	O
an	O
additional	O
identity	O
verification	O
process	O
of	O
providing	O
a	O
photo	O
of	O
a	O
valid	O
ID	O
is	O
required	O
before	O
certain	O
functions	O
of	O
Weixin	B-Application
Pay	O
become	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
who	O
link	O
their	O
credit	O
card	O
can	O
only	O
make	O
payments	O
to	O
vendors	O
,	O
and	O
cannot	O
use	O
this	O
to	O
top	O
up	O
WeChat	B-Application
balances	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Weixin	B-Application
Pay	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
digital	O
payments	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
payments	O
from	O
participating	O
vendors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
March	O
2016	O
,	O
Weixin	B-Application
Pay	O
had	O
over	O
300	O
million	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Weixin	B-Application
Pay	O
's	O
main	O
competitor	O
in	O
China	O
and	O
the	O
market	O
leader	O
in	O
online	O
payments	O
is	O
Alibaba	O
Group	O
's	O
Alipay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alibaba	O
company	O
founder	O
Jack	O
Ma	O
considered	O
Weixin	B-Application
's	I-Application
red	I-Application
envelope	I-Application
feature	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
"	O
Pearl	B-Application
Harbor	I-Application
moment	O
"	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
began	O
to	O
erode	O
Alipay	O
's	O
historic	O
dominance	O
in	O
the	O
online	O
payments	O
industry	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
especially	O
in	O
peer-to-peer	O
money	O
transfer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
competitors	O
,	O
Baidu	B-Application
Wallet	O
and	O
Sina	B-Protocol
Weibo	I-Protocol
,	O
also	O
launched	O
similar	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
Weixin	B-Application
had	O
overtaken	O
Alibaba	O
with	O
800	O
million	O
active	O
Weixin	B-Application
mobile	O
payment	O
users	O
versus	O
520	O
million	O
for	O
Alibaba	O
's	O
Alipay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
Alibaba	O
had	O
a	O
54	O
per	O
cent	O
share	O
of	O
the	O
Chinese	O
mobile	O
online	O
payments	O
market	O
in	O
2017	O
compared	O
to	O
Weixin	B-Application
's	O
37	O
per	O
cent	O
share	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
,	O
Tencent	O
introduced	O
"	O
WeChat	B-Application
Pay	O
HK	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
payment	O
service	O
for	O
users	O
in	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
Chinese	O
users	O
can	O
use	O
WeChat	B-Application
Pay	O
in	O
25	O
countries	O
outside	O
China	O
,	O
including	O
,	O
Italy	O
,	O
South	O
Africa	O
and	O
the	O
UK	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
work	O
purposes	O
,	O
companies	O
and	O
business	O
communication	O
,	O
a	O
special	O
version	O
of	O
WeChat	B-Application
called	O
Enterprise	O
WeChat	B-Application
(	O
or	O
Qiye	O
Weixin	B-Application
)	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	B-Application
was	O
meant	O
to	O
help	O
employees	O
separate	O
work	O
from	O
private	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
feature	O
called	O
"	O
Mini	O
Programs	O
"	O
(	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
mini	O
program	O
is	O
an	O
app	B-Application
within	O
an	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Business	O
owners	O
can	O
create	O
mini	O
apps	O
in	O
the	O
WeChat	B-Application
system	O
,	O
implemented	O
using	O
JavaScript	B-Language
plus	O
a	O
proprietary	B-Application
API	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
may	O
install	O
these	O
inside	O
the	O
WeChat	B-Application
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
record	O
of	O
580,000	O
mini	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
one	O
Mini	O
Program	O
,	O
consumers	O
could	O
scan	O
the	O
Quick	O
Response	O
code	O
using	O
their	O
mobile	O
phone	O
at	O
a	O
supermarket	O
counter	O
and	O
pay	O
the	O
bill	O
through	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
WeChat	B-Application
mobile	O
wallet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
Games	O
have	O
received	O
huge	O
popularity	O
,	O
with	O
its	O
"	O
Jump	O
Jump	O
"	O
game	O
attracting	O
400	O
million	O
players	O
in	O
less	O
than	O
3	O
days	O
and	O
attaining	O
100	O
million	O
daily	O
active	O
users	O
in	O
just	O
two	O
weeks	O
after	O
its	O
launch	O
,	O
as	O
of	O
January	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ever	O
since	O
WeChat	B-Application
Mini	O
Program	O
's	O
Launch	O
,	O
daily	O
active	O
user	O
(	O
DAU	O
)	O
of	O
WeChat	B-Application
Mini	O
Programs	O
are	O
increasing	O
dramatically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
Channels	O
was	O
launched	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
short	O
video	O
platform	O
within	O
WeChat	B-Application
that	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
create	O
and	O
share	O
short	O
video	O
clips	O
and	O
photos	O
to	O
their	O
own	O
WeChat	B-Application
Channel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
post	O
can	O
include	O
hashtags	O
,	O
a	O
location	O
tag	O
,	O
a	O
short	O
description	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
link	O
to	O
an	O
WeChat	B-Application
official	O
account	O
article	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2021	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
WeChat	B-Application
Channels	O
began	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
upload	O
hour-long	O
videos	O
,	O
twice	O
of	O
the	O
duration	O
limit	O
previously	O
imposed	O
on	O
all	O
WeChat	B-Application
Channels	O
videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Comparisons	O
are	O
often	O
drawn	O
between	O
WeChat	B-Application
Channels	O
and	O
TikTok	B-Application
(	O
or	O
Douyin	B-Application
)	O
for	O
their	O
similarity	O
in	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2022	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
reports	O
that	O
WeChat	B-Application
is	O
set	O
to	O
diversify	O
further	O
and	O
place	O
more	O
emphasis	O
on	O
new	O
products	O
and	O
services	O
like	O
WeChat	B-Application
Channels	O
,	O
amid	O
new	O
regulatory	O
restrictions	O
imposed	O
in	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
June	O
2021	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
Channels	O
had	O
accumulated	O
over	O
200	O
million	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
than	O
27	O
million	O
people	O
had	O
used	O
the	O
platform	O
to	O
watch	O
Irish	O
boy	O
band	O
Westlife	O
's	O
online	O
concert	O
in	O
2021	O
,	O
and	O
15	O
million	O
users	O
also	O
viewed	O
the	O
Shenzhou	O
12	O
spaceflight	O
launch	O
using	O
the	O
app	B-Application
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2021	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
brand-new	O
feature	O
on	O
its	O
platform	O
called	O
Easy	O
Mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Easy	O
Mode	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
version	O
8.0.14	O
for	O
both	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
offered	O
a	O
heat	O
map	O
feature	O
that	O
showed	O
crowd	O
density	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2016	O
,	O
Tencent	O
launched	O
WeChat	B-Application
Out	O
,	O
a	O
VOIP	B-Application
service	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
call	O
mobile	O
phones	O
and	O
landlines	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
feature	O
allowed	O
purchasing	O
credit	O
within	O
the	O
app	B-Application
using	O
a	O
credit	O
card	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
Out	O
was	O
originally	O
only	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
India	O
,	O
and	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
,	O
but	O
later	O
coverage	O
was	O
expanded	O
to	O
Thailand	O
,	O
Macau	O
,	O
Laos	O
,	O
and	O
Italy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
Tencent	O
released	O
WeChat	B-Application
Index	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
inserting	O
a	O
search	O
term	O
in	O
the	O
WeChat	B-Application
Index	O
page	O
,	O
users	O
could	O
check	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
this	O
term	O
in	O
the	O
past	O
7	O
,	O
30	O
,	O
or	O
90	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
data	O
was	O
mined	O
from	O
data	O
in	O
official	O
WeChat	B-Application
accounts	O
and	O
metrics	O
such	O
as	O
social	O
sharing	O
,	O
likes	O
and	O
reads	O
were	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
evaluation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
Tencent	O
started	O
news	O
feed	O
and	O
search	O
functions	O
for	O
its	O
WeChat	B-Application
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Financial	O
Times	O
reported	O
this	O
was	O
a	O
"	O
direct	O
challenge	O
to	O
Chinese	O
search	O
engine	O
Baidu	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
allowed	O
people	O
to	O
add	O
friends	O
by	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
methods	O
,	O
including	O
searching	O
by	O
username	O
or	O
phone	O
number	O
,	O
adding	O
from	O
phone	O
or	O
email	O
contacts	O
,	O
playing	O
a	O
"	O
message	O
in	O
a	O
bottle	O
"	O
game	O
,	O
or	O
viewing	O
nearby	O
people	O
who	O
are	O
also	O
using	O
the	O
same	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
WeChat	B-Application
added	O
a	O
"	O
friend	O
radar	O
"	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
was	O
reported	O
to	O
be	O
developing	O
an	O
augmented	B-General_Concept
reality	I-General_Concept
(	O
AR	O
)	O
platform	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
service	O
offering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
team	O
was	O
working	O
on	O
a	O
3D	O
rendering	O
engine	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
realistic	O
appearance	O
of	O
detailed	O
objects	O
in	O
smartphone-based	O
AR	O
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
were	O
also	O
developing	O
a	O
simultaneous	B-Application
localization	I-Application
and	I-Application
mapping	I-Application
technology	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
help	O
calculate	O
the	O
position	O
of	O
virtual	O
objects	O
relative	O
to	O
their	O
environment	O
,	O
enabling	O
AR	O
interactions	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
markers	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Quick	O
Response	O
codes	O
or	O
special	O
images	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2019	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
released	O
dark	O
theme	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
later	O
in	O
early	O
2020	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
amidst	O
rumors	O
that	O
WeChat	B-Application
would	O
be	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
Apple	O
store	O
if	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
release	O
dark	O
theme	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
spring	O
2020	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
users	O
are	O
now	O
able	O
to	O
change	O
their	O
WeChat	B-Application
ID	O
more	O
than	O
once	O
,	O
being	O
allowed	O
to	O
change	O
their	O
username	O
only	O
once	O
per	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
this	O
,	O
a	O
WeChat	B-Application
ID	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
changed	O
more	O
than	O
once	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
17	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
released	O
a	O
new	O
add-on	O
called	O
"	O
WeChat	B-Application
Nudge	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
feature	O
was	O
first	O
introduced	O
in	O
MSN	O
Messenger	B-Protocol
7.0	O
,	O
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messenger	B-Protocol
and	O
the	O
feature	O
had	O
interoperability	O
with	O
MSN	O
Messenger	B-Protocol
's	O
Nudge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
Messenger	B-Protocol
and	O
Yahoo	O
,	O
users	O
can	O
access	O
WeChat	B-Application
Nudge	O
by	O
double-clicking	O
on	O
other	O
users	O
 '	O
profiles	O
in	O
the	O
chat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
users	O
must	O
have	O
the	O
latest	O
Wechat	B-Application
update( 	O
7.0.13	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
21	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
released	O
its	O
iOS	B-Application
Version	O
8.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
has	O
added	O
the	O
function	O
of	O
animated	O
emoji	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
emojis	O
of	O
Bomb	O
,	O
Fireworks	O
,	O
and	O
Celebration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
24	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
iOS	B-Application
platform	O
has	O
received	O
the	O
official	O
update	O
8.0.27	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Now	O
WeChat	B-Application
users	O
can	O
send	O
a	O
maximum	O
of	O
99	O
pictures	O
,	O
whereas	O
in	O
the	O
past	O
,	O
users	O
could	O
only	O
send	O
a	O
maximum	O
of	O
9	O
pictures	O
to	O
your	O
friends	O
in	O
WeChat	B-Application
at	O
once	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
Business	O
(	O
)	O
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
latest	O
mobile	O
social	O
network	O
business	O
model	O
after	O
e-commerce	O
,	O
which	O
utilizes	O
business	O
relationships	O
and	O
friendships	O
to	O
maintain	O
a	O
customer	O
relationship	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Comparing	O
with	O
the	O
traditional	O
E-business	B-Application
like	O
JD.com	O
and	O
Alibaba	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
Business	O
has	O
a	O
large	O
range	O
of	O
influence	O
and	O
profits	O
with	O
less	O
input	O
and	O
lower	O
threshold	O
,	O
which	O
attracts	O
lots	O
of	O
people	O
to	O
join	O
in	O
WeChat	B-Application
business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
the	O
main	O
profit	O
mode	O
of	O
WeChat	B-Application
Business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
one	O
is	O
to	O
launch	O
advertisements	O
and	O
provide	O
services	O
through	O
the	O
WeChat	B-Application
Official	O
Account	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
B2C	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
like	O
a	O
'	O
mini	O
app	B-Application
 '	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
company	O
has	O
to	O
hire	O
specific	O
staff	O
to	O
manage	O
the	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2015	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
more	O
than	O
100	O
million	O
WeChat	B-Application
Official	O
Accounts	O
on	O
this	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
salesperson	O
in	O
this	O
mode	O
is	O
for	O
promoting	O
products	O
by	O
individuals	O
,	O
which	O
belongs	O
to	O
C2C	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
mode	O
,	O
individual	O
sellers	O
post	O
relevant	O
photos	O
and	O
messages	O
of	O
their	O
agent	O
products	O
on	O
the	O
WeChat	B-Application
Moments	O
or	O
WeChat	B-Application
groups	O
and	O
sell	O
products	O
to	O
their	O
WeChat	B-Application
friends	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
,	O
they	O
develop	O
friendships	O
with	O
their	O
customers	O
by	O
sending	O
messages	O
in	O
festivals	O
or	O
write	O
comments	O
under	O
their	O
updates	O
on	O
WeChat	B-Application
moments	O
to	O
increase	O
their	O
trust	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
WeChat	B-Application
businessmen	O
already	O
have	O
an	O
online	O
shop	O
in	O
Taobao	O
,	O
but	O
use	O
WeChat	B-Application
to	O
maintain	O
existing	O
customers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
more	O
and	O
more	O
people	O
have	O
joined	O
WeChat	B-Application
Business	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
brought	O
many	O
problems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
sellers	O
have	O
disguised	O
themselves	O
as	O
international	O
flight	O
attendants	O
or	O
overseas	O
students	O
to	O
post	O
fake	O
stylish	O
photos	O
on	O
WeChat	B-Application
Moments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
popular	O
products	O
selling	O
on	O
WeChat	B-Application
are	O
facial	O
masks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
any	O
supervision	O
mechanism	O
in	O
WeChat	B-Application
business	O
also	O
provides	O
opportunities	O
for	O
criminals	O
to	O
continue	O
this	O
illegal	O
behavior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2022	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
suspended	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
dozen	O
NFT	O
(	O
non-fungible	O
token	O
)	O
public	O
accounts	O
to	O
clean	O
up	O
crypto	O
speculation	O
and	O
scalping	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
Burberry	O
partnered	O
with	O
WeChat	B-Application
to	O
create	O
its	O
own	O
WeChat	B-Application
apps	O
around	O
its	O
fall	O
2014	O
runway	O
show	O
,	O
giving	O
users	O
live	O
streams	O
from	O
the	O
shows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
brand	O
,	O
Michael	O
Kors	O
used	O
WeChat	B-Application
to	O
give	O
live	O
updates	O
from	O
their	O
runway	O
show	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
to	O
run	O
a	O
photo	O
contest	O
"	O
Chic	O
Together	O
WeChat	B-Application
campaign	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
partnered	O
with	O
60	O
Italian	O
companies	O
(	O
WeChat	B-Application
had	O
an	O
office	O
in	O
Milan	O
)	O
who	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
sell	O
their	O
products	O
and	O
services	O
on	O
the	O
Chinese	O
market	O
without	O
having	O
to	O
get	O
a	O
license	O
to	O
operate	O
a	O
business	O
in	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
Andrea	O
Ghizzoni	O
,	O
European	O
director	O
of	O
Tencent	O
,	O
said	O
that	O
95	O
percent	O
of	O
global	O
luxury	O
brands	O
used	O
WeChat	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
Burberry	O
and	O
WeChat	B-Application
collaborated	O
to	O
design	O
a	O
shop	O
in	O
Shenzhen	O
where	O
Burberry	O
has	O
a	O
flagship	O
store	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
an	O
app	B-Application
allowing	O
shoppers	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
the	O
shop	O
digitally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
's	O
mobile	B-Application
phone	I-Application
app	I-Application
is	O
available	O
only	O
to	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
Symbian	B-Operating_System
phones	O
were	O
supported	O
before	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
as	O
of	O
22	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
was	O
no	O
longer	O
working	O
on	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phones	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
ceased	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
app	B-Application
for	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phones	I-Protocol
before	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Web-based	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
and	O
Windows	O
clients	O
exist	O
,	O
this	O
requires	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
app	B-Application
installed	O
on	O
a	O
supported	O
mobile	O
phone	O
for	O
authentication	O
,	O
and	O
neither	O
message	O
roaming	O
nor	O
'	O
Moments	O
 '	O
are	O
provided	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
,	O
without	O
the	O
app	B-Application
on	O
a	O
supported	O
phone	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
possible	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
web-based	O
WeChat	B-Application
clients	O
on	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
also	O
provides	O
WeChat	B-Application
for	O
Web	O
,	O
a	O
web-based	O
client	B-Protocol
with	O
messaging	O
and	O
file	O
transfer	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
use	O
the	O
Web-based	O
client	B-Protocol
,	O
it	O
is	O
necessary	O
to	O
first	O
scan	O
a	O
QR	O
code	O
using	O
the	O
phone	B-Application
app	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
means	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
possible	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
WeChat	B-Application
network	O
if	O
a	O
user	O
does	O
not	O
possess	O
a	O
suitable	O
smartphone	O
with	O
the	O
app	B-Application
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
could	O
be	O
accessed	O
on	O
Windows	O
using	O
BlueStacks	B-Application
until	O
December	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
that	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
blocked	O
Android	B-Application
emulators	O
and	O
accounts	O
that	O
have	O
signed	O
in	O
from	O
emulators	O
may	O
be	O
frozen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
have	O
been	O
some	O
reported	O
issues	O
with	O
the	O
Web	O
client	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
"	O
gonna	O
"	O
was	O
autocorrected	O
to	O
"	O
go	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
E	O
's	O
were	O
auto-deleted	O
in	O
"	O
need	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
wechat	B-Application
"	O
was	O
auto-capitalized	O
to	O
"	O
Wechat	B-Application
"	O
but	O
not	O
"	O
WeChat	B-Application
"	O
,	O
and	O
after	O
the	O
message	O
was	O
sent	O
,	O
"	O
do	O
n't	O
"	O
got	O
auto-corrected	O
to	O
"	O
do	O
not	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
auto-corrected	O
word(s )	O
after	O
the	O
message	O
was	O
sent	O
appeared	O
on	O
the	O
phone	B-Application
app	I-Application
as	O
the	O
user	O
had	O
originally	O
typed	O
it	O
(	O
"	O
do	O
n't	O
"	O
was	O
seen	O
on	O
the	O
phone	B-Application
app	I-Application
whereas	O
"	O
do	O
not	O
"	O
was	O
seen	O
on	O
the	O
Web	O
client	B-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
opens	O
up	O
video	O
calls	O
for	O
multiple	O
people	O
not	O
only	O
for	O
a	O
one-person	O
call	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
operates	O
from	O
China	O
under	O
Chinese	O
law	O
,	O
which	O
includes	O
strong	O
censorship	O
provisions	O
and	O
interception	O
protocols	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
can	O
access	O
and	O
expose	O
the	O
text	O
messages	O
,	O
contact	O
books	O
,	O
and	O
location	O
histories	O
of	O
its	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
WeChat	B-Application
's	O
popularity	O
,	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
uses	O
WeChat	B-Application
as	O
a	O
data	O
source	O
to	O
conduct	O
mass	O
surveillance	O
in	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
states	O
and	O
regions	O
such	O
as	O
India	O
,	O
Australia	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
and	O
Taiwan	O
fear	O
that	O
the	O
app	B-Application
poses	O
a	O
threat	O
to	O
national	O
or	O
regional	O
security	O
for	O
various	O
reasons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
Indian	O
Intelligence	O
Bureau	O
flagged	O
WeChat	B-Application
for	O
security	O
concerns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
India	O
has	O
debated	O
whether	O
or	O
not	O
they	O
should	O
ban	O
WeChat	B-Application
for	O
the	O
possibility	O
that	O
too	O
much	O
personal	O
information	O
and	O
data	O
could	O
be	O
collected	O
from	O
its	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
report	O
placed	O
Tencent	O
last	O
out	O
of	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
11	O
companies	O
,	O
including	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
Apple	O
,	O
and	O
Google	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
privacy	O
protections	O
built	O
into	O
WeChat	B-Application
and	O
QQ	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
September	O
2017	O
update	O
to	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
privacy	O
policy	O
detailed	O
that	O
log	O
data	O
collected	O
by	O
WeChat	B-Application
included	O
search	O
terms	O
,	O
profiles	O
visited	O
,	O
and	O
content	O
that	O
had	O
been	O
viewed	O
within	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
metadata	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
communications	O
between	O
WeChat	B-Application
users	O
—	O
including	O
call	O
times	O
,	O
duration	O
,	O
and	O
location	O
information	O
—	O
was	O
also	O
collected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2020	O
,	O
Citizen	O
Lab	O
published	O
a	O
study	O
which	O
claimed	O
that	O
WeChat	B-Application
monitors	O
foreign	O
chats	O
to	O
hone	O
its	O
censorship	O
algorithms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
14	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Radio	O
Free	O
Asia	O
reported	O
that	O
in	O
2019	O
,	O
Gao	O
Zhigang	O
,	O
a	O
citizen	O
of	O
Taiyuan	O
city	O
,	O
Shanxi	O
Province	O
,	O
China	O
,	O
used	O
WeChat	B-Application
to	O
forward	O
a	O
video	O
to	O
his	O
friend	O
Geng	O
Guanjun	O
in	O
USA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Court	O
documents	O
show	O
that	O
China	O
's	O
network	O
management	O
and	O
propaganda	O
departments	O
directly	O
monitor	O
WeChat	B-Application
users	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Chinese	O
police	O
used	O
big	O
data	O
facial	O
technology	O
to	O
identify	O
Geng	O
Guanjun	O
as	O
an	O
overseas	O
democracy	O
activist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2020	O
,	O
Chevron	O
Corporation	O
mandated	O
that	O
its	O
employees	O
delete	O
WeChat	B-Application
from	O
company-issued	O
phones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
inside	O
and	O
outside	O
of	O
China	O
also	O
have	O
expressed	O
concern	O
for	O
the	O
privacy	O
issues	O
of	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chinese	O
authorities	O
have	O
further	O
accused	O
the	O
WeChat	B-Application
app	B-Application
of	O
threatening	O
individual	O
safety	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
China	O
Central	O
Television	O
(	O
CCTV	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
state-run	O
broadcaster	O
,	O
featured	O
a	O
piece	O
in	O
which	O
WeChat	B-Application
was	O
described	O
as	O
an	O
app	B-Application
that	O
helped	O
criminals	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
location-reporting	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CCTV	O
gave	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
such	O
accusations	O
through	O
reporting	O
the	O
murder	O
of	O
a	O
single	O
woman	O
who	O
,	O
after	O
he	O
attempted	O
to	O
rob	O
her	O
,	O
was	O
murdered	O
by	O
a	O
man	O
she	O
met	O
on	O
WeChat	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Authorities	O
within	O
China	O
have	O
linked	O
WeChat	B-Application
to	O
numerous	O
crimes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
city	O
of	O
Hangzhou	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
reported	O
over	O
twenty	O
crimes	O
related	O
to	O
WeChat	B-Application
in	O
the	O
span	O
of	O
three	O
months	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
Apple	O
published	O
a	O
list	B-Application
of	O
the	O
top	O
25	O
most	O
popular	O
apps	O
infected	O
with	O
the	O
XcodeGhost	B-Application
malware	O
,	O
confirming	O
earlier	O
reports	O
that	O
version	O
6.2.5	O
of	O
WeChat	B-Application
for	O
iOS	B-Application
was	O
infected	O
with	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
malware	O
originated	O
in	O
a	O
counterfeit	O
version	O
of	O
Xcode	B-Operating_System
(	O
dubbed	O
"	O
XcodeGhost	B-Application
"	O
)	O
,	O
Apple	O
's	O
software	O
development	O
tools	O
,	O
and	O
made	O
its	O
way	O
into	O
the	O
compiled	O
app	B-Application
through	O
a	O
modified	O
framework	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
Apple	O
's	O
review	O
process	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
and	O
other	O
infected	O
apps	O
were	O
approved	O
and	O
distributed	O
through	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
commentators	O
considered	O
this	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
largest	O
security	O
breach	O
in	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
's	O
history	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
Government	O
of	O
India	O
banned	O
WeChat	B-Application
along	O
with	O
58	O
other	O
Chinese	O
apps	O
citing	O
data	O
and	O
privacy	O
issues	O
,	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
a	O
border	O
clash	O
between	O
India	O
and	O
China	O
earlier	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
6	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
Russia	O
blocked	O
access	O
to	O
WeChat	B-Application
for	O
failing	O
to	O
give	O
its	O
contact	O
details	O
to	O
the	O
Russian	O
communications	O
watchdog	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
6	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
U.S.	O
President	O
Donald	O
Trump	O
signed	O
an	O
executive	O
order	O
,	O
invoking	O
the	O
International	O
Emergency	O
Economic	O
Powers	O
Act	O
,	O
seeking	O
to	O
ban	O
WeChat	B-Application
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
in	O
45	O
days	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
connections	O
with	O
the	O
Chinese-owned	O
Tencent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
signed	O
alongside	O
a	O
similar	O
executive	O
order	O
targeting	O
TikTok	B-Application
and	O
its	O
Chinese-owned	O
ByteDance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Department	O
of	O
Commerce	O
issued	O
orders	O
on	O
September	O
18	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
to	O
enact	O
the	O
ban	O
on	O
WeChat	B-Application
and	O
TikTok	B-Application
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
September	O
20	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
citing	O
national	O
security	O
and	O
data	O
privacy	O
concerns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
measures	O
ban	O
the	O
transferring	O
of	O
funds	O
or	O
processing	O
through	O
WeChat	B-Application
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
and	O
bar	O
any	O
company	O
from	O
offering	O
hosting	O
,	O
content	O
delivery	O
networks	O
or	O
internet	O
transit	O
to	O
WeChat	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Magistrate	O
Judge	O
Laurel	O
Beeler	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
District	O
Court	O
for	O
the	O
Northern	O
District	O
of	O
California	O
issued	O
a	O
preliminary	O
injunction	O
blocking	O
the	O
Department	O
of	O
Commerce	O
order	O
on	O
both	O
TikTok	B-Application
and	O
WeChat	B-Application
on	O
September	O
20	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
respective	O
lawsuits	O
filed	O
by	O
TikTok	B-Application
and	O
US	O
WeChat	B-Application
Users	O
Alliance	O
,	O
citing	O
the	O
merits	O
of	O
the	O
plaintiffs	O
 '	O
First	O
Amendment	O
claims	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
her	O
ruling	O
,	O
Beeler	O
said	O
that	O
while	O
the	O
government	O
had	O
established	O
that	O
Chinese	O
government	O
activities	O
raised	O
significant	O
national	O
security	O
concerns	O
,	O
it	O
showed	O
little	O
evidence	O
that	O
the	O
WeChat	B-Application
ban	O
would	O
address	O
those	O
concerns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
9	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
U.S.	O
President	O
Joe	O
Biden	O
signed	O
an	O
executive	O
order	O
revoking	O
the	O
ban	O
on	O
WeChat	B-Application
and	O
TikTok	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
Office	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Trade	O
Representative	O
added	O
WeChat	B-Application
's	O
ecommerce	O
ecosystem	O
to	O
its	O
list	B-Application
of	I-Application
Notorious	I-Application
Markets	I-Application
for	O
Counterfeiting	O
and	O
Piracy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
next	O
day	O
Tencent	O
released	O
a	O
statement	O
addressing	O
the	O
issue	O
saying	O
"	O
A	O
small	O
number	O
of	O
WeChat	B-Application
international	O
users	O
were	O
not	O
able	O
to	O
send	O
certain	O
messages	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
technical	O
glitch	O
this	O
Thursday	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WeChat	B-Application
planned	O
to	O
build	O
two	O
different	O
platforms	O
to	O
avoid	O
this	O
problem	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
;	O
one	O
for	O
the	O
Chinese	O
mainland	O
and	O
one	O
for	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
problem	O
existed	O
because	O
WeChat	B-Application
's	O
servers	O
were	O
all	O
located	O
in	O
China	O
and	O
thus	O
subjected	O
to	O
its	O
censorship	O
rules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
overwhelming	O
victory	O
of	O
pro-democracy	O
candidates	O
in	O
the	O
2019	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
local	O
elections	O
WeChat	B-Application
censored	O
messages	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
election	O
and	O
disabled	O
the	O
accounts	O
of	O
posters	O
in	O
other	O
countries	O
such	O
as	O
U.S.	O
and	O
Canada	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
started	O
censoring	O
messages	O
concerning	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2020	O
WeChat	B-Application
blocked	O
a	O
post	O
by	O
Australian	O
Prime	O
Minister	O
Scott	O
Morrison	O
during	O
a	O
diplomatic	O
spat	O
between	O
Australia	O
and	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
WeChat	B-Application
post	O
Morrison	O
had	O
criticized	O
a	O
doctored	O
image	O
posted	O
by	O
a	O
Chinese	O
diplomat	O
and	O
praised	O
the	O
Chinese-Australian	O
community	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
the	O
Citizen	O
Lab	O
published	O
a	O
report	O
saying	O
that	O
WeChat	B-Application
was	O
using	O
different	O
censorship	O
policies	O
in	O
mainland	O
China	O
and	O
other	O
areas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Internal	O
browser	O
in	O
WeChat	B-Application
blocked	O
Chinese	O
accounts	O
from	O
accessing	O
some	O
websites	O
such	O
as	O
gambling	O
,	O
Falun	O
Gong	O
and	O
critical	O
reports	O
on	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
according	O
to	O
"	O
related	O
regulations	O
"	O
,	O
domains	O
of	O
the	O
web	O
pages	O
that	O
want	O
to	O
get	O
shared	O
in	O
WeChat	B-Application
Moments	O
need	O
to	O
get	O
an	O
Internet	O
Content	O
Provider	O
(	O
ICP	O
)	O
license	O
by	O
31	O
December	O
2014	O
to	O
avoid	O
being	O
restricted	O
by	O
WeChat	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2013	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
was	O
blocked	O
in	O
Iran	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Iranian	O
authorities	O
cited	O
WeChat	B-Application
Nearby	O
(	O
Friend	O
Radar	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
spread	O
of	O
pornographic	O
content	O
as	O
the	O
reason	O
of	O
censorship	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
WeChat	B-Application
collects	O
phone	O
data	O
and	O
monitors	O
member	O
activity	O
and	O
because	O
app	B-Application
developers	O
are	O
outside	O
of	O
the	O
country	O
and	O
not	O
cooperating	O
,	O
this	O
software	O
has	O
been	O
blocked	O
,	O
so	O
you	O
can	O
use	O
domestic	O
applications	O
for	O
cheap	O
voice	O
calls	O
,	O
video	O
calls	O
and	O
messaging	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
4	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
was	O
unblocked	O
in	O
Iran	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
6	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
several	O
WeChat	B-Application
accounts	O
associated	O
with	O
China	O
's	O
university	O
campuses	O
LGBTQ	O
movement	O
were	O
blocked	O
and	O
then	O
deleted	O
without	O
warning	O
,	O
the	O
official	O
media	O
said	O
they	O
had	O
no	O
knowledge	O
of	O
this	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
the	O
closed	O
WeChat	B-Application
accounts	O
display	O
messages	O
saying	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
"	O
violated	O
"	O
Internet	O
regulations	O
,	O
without	O
giving	O
further	O
details	O
,	O
with	O
account	O
names	O
being	O
deleted	O
and	O
replaced	O
with	O
"	O
unnamed	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
notice	O
claiming	O
that	O
all	O
content	O
was	O
blocked	O
and	O
accounts	O
were	O
suspended	O
after	O
receiving	O
relevant	O
complaints	O
.	O
</s>
