Weixin/WeChat and Commie Infiltration

Weixin is the Chinese version of WeChat. It is for mainland users, while WeChat is for everyone else and uses different servers. Thus, they target different markets. The data is also stored in different servers, and Weixin users cannot access official WeChat accounts because of strict government censorship. However, WeChat users can participate in Weixin campaigns. (ChoZan, 2022) While both apps have a wallet function, the WeChat wallet has limited functionality compared to the Weixin wallet, in part because of the necessity of using different third party processors.(Stripe supports Weixin Pay, 2025)

Comprehensive App

Weixin/WeChat obviously has texting functions, but it has so many more in its attempt to become an “all-in-one” app. This makes it more likely that a user would use Weixin over a more specialized app, thus increasing the revenue for Tencent. Photo and video sharing, money transfers (taking a cut, of course), censored news, booking taxis, online store creation, the app is continuously expanding, thus making it less likely that users would use other apps, and also making it easier for the government to track them. (Mahoney & Tang, 2016) It is also a search engine, well-known to censor Chinese language searches even outside of China. Chinese government organizations review user data, including messages and voicemail, as well as location records. This has assisted the government in suppression opposition. (WeChat, 2025)

Now Weixin allows palm scanning for payments and access to services. (Tencent, 2024) This helps eliminate having to carry multiple passes. It also makes it far easier for the government to track where people are and what they are doing and buying. Emphasizing the uniqueness of the palm to ensure security and thus less chance of identity theft or fraud also means it more accurately tracks you.

Tencent

Tencent Holdings Ltd is the Chinese multinational company that owns Weixin and WeChat, and is also the largest seller of video games through its stakes in over 600 companies. It is one of the largest companies in the world by market cap. Since Chinese law requires companies with more than two Chinese Communist Party (CCP) member employees to have a CCP committee, Tencent offers thousands of square meters for CCP activity and spends more than a million yuan annually for such activities. (“Tencent”, 2025) Remember that next time you play Grand Theft Auto, World of Warcraft, or Assassin’s Creed.

The Trump Ban

In his first term of office, Donald Trump issued an executive order banning the use of WeChat in the United States, driven largely in part due to security issues. Weixin/WeChat collects user information and gives it to the Chinese government. (Executive Order 13972, 2020) This followed another Executive Order banning TikTok, also over concerns about Chinese espionage and collection of data on US citizens and organizations. These bans were set to take effect after Biden took office. Some lawsuits ensued, injunctions issued on First Amendment grounds, among others, and the Biden administration revoked the orders a few months after taking office. (U.S. WeChat Users Alliance v. Trump, 2024) Other countries have also banned WeChat, at least on government devices.

Terms of Service

The Weixin terms of service, called “Agreement on Software License and Service of Tencent Weixin”, (Weixin, n.d.) makes it clear it is a supplement to the Tencent Service Agreement. Much of the text is similar to so many other EULAs. While Section VI talks about the protection of user information, it also makes clear that, if Chinese law requires it, users must provide real identity information. Furthermore, Section VII says that Tencent owns all Weixin accounts, and “QQ ID Rules”, presumably official government regulations (it’s in Chinese), must be followed. Section 7.2.2 says that, if a mobile phone is used, a user’s account can be searched by mobile contacts; also, if certain types of Official Accounts are followed, comments, images, and other information can be sent to third parties. Remember, the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party ARE third parties. Section VIII, particularly 8.1.2.1 through 8.1.2.5, makes it abundantly clear that doing anything that doesn’t support the government or the Chinese Communist Party is forbidden. It doesn’t say so specifically but the multiple references to “public order” make it obvious. The WeChat Terms of Service (WeChat, 2024) are somewhat different because it has to comply with so many other laws, and so uses the phone number linked to the account to determine what rules to apply. It includes notice that data may not be deleted, particularly if a third party (e.g., the Chinese government or Chinese Communist Party) has it.

I’d say the policies of Tencent/Weixin/WeChat are clear examples of why you should thoroughly read the EULA or Terms of Service for ANYTHING before using it, researching online (NOT using Weixin, of course) for any surprises – like discovering part of the user agreement that requires mandatory arbitration was on the box of the fridge you had delivered and installed and thus never saw. (Steve Lehto, 2024)

ChoZan. (2022, October 7). WeChat VS Weixin, an Essential Guide for Marketers. https://chozan.co/blog/wechat-vs-weixin/

Executive Order 13972. 85 FR 48641. (2020). https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-addressing-threat-posed-wechat/

Mahoney L., & Tang, T. (2016). Strategic social media: From marketing to social change. Marblehead, MA: Wiley.

Steve Lehto. (2024, February 29). Fridge Maker Says You Can’t Sue b/c the BOX Carried a Disclaimer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR9g1KsDtD0

Stripe supports Weixin Pay. (2025, April 17). Global Banking News (GBN).

Tencent. (2024, January 25). Weixin’s Palm Scan Payments Is Like Waving at a Friend. https://www.tencent.com/en-us/articles/2201785.html

Tencent. (2025, April 27). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tencent