U.S. ban on WeChat detriment to Chinese community

President Trump’s executive order banning WeChat has been met with mixed reactions - from concerns that the action represents a free speech violation to skepticism surrounding the extent it will ensure national security. But for the Chinese community, the ban is viewed as a threat to their communication with loved ones, economic livelihoods, and connection to the world.

Joyce*, a Chinese woman living in the United States, uses WeChat on a daily basis to talk to her parents in China. Upon learning about the rumors of a potential ban on the WeChat app from other users’ posts, she thought it a “joke” or a “bluff” as part of Trump’s election strategy. But once she saw the official announcement from the U.S. Department of Commerce, she began discussing a backup plan with her parents, a task that proved difficult as no comprehensive substitutes are obvious.

China researcher at Human Rights Watch, Yaqiu Wang clarifies that individuals who have found and currently use alternatives to WeChat do exist, classifying them into two groups. Some people had concerns about their data and privacy before the ban, instead choosing to use a VPN with WhatsApp or an encrypted messaging service such as Signal. “The second group of people, they either cannot have a WeChat after constantly being banned or constantly being monitored,” explained Wang. Still, the app remains the default mode of communication for the Chinese diaspora, with an average of 19 million daily active users in the U.S as of early August, according to analytics firm Apptopia.

Similar social media options used in the U.S., like Whatsapp, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, and Twitter, are banned under China’s firewall. International texts and phone calls can be expensive. Although iMessage is free, its use is based on the assumption that both parties own iPhones, which is not always the case due to Apple’s high price point and competition with existing Chinese brands like Huawei and Xiaomi.

“Especially when you think about the audience, WeChat is very user-friendly. Like my grandma uses it,” said Joyce*, “I cannot imagine asking my parents to download a VPN, then try to connect to the VPN to talk to me. It just doesn’t make sense.” WeChat is commonly referred to by Chinese people as the “app for everything.” Its design and range of features speak specifically to the needs and customs of Chinese users through services long neglected by American apps.

The quick voice notes feature allows users to communicate with voice alone, a necessary tool for Chinese Americans who may speak Chinese but are not proficient in reading or writing the language. That same focus on visuals is mirrored in WeChat’s ‘Moments’ function. But WeChat’s appeal in the Chinese community extends beyond its services to its incorporation of Chinese cultural elements. Mobile payments are extremely prevalent in China, and WeChat Pay offers a payment solution in the form of a hongbao (red envelope), a nod to cultural nuance.

Perhaps WeChat’s most appealing feature is its large user base. The app’s network effect means it serves an essential role in connecting Chinese Americans and immigrants to their communities. A daily part of communication for Chinese people is WeChat groups, group chats used for just about every purpose: a neighborhood watch, school parent groups, customer outreach for small businesses, organizing around political issues, remote mental health counseling, and much more. Many of these services do not have U.S. alternatives provided in a space that accommodates the needs of Chinese individuals or immigrants who may not speak English.

During the pandemic, WeChat became the go-to platform for businesses communicating with clients. Restaurants use the app to take orders, and some small shops selling homemade goods, like baked sweets or jewelry, operate entirely on WeChat. Companies that conduct business with clients in China depend on WeChat’s messaging functions too. As a China researcher, Wang uses the app to “see what’s going” when conducting research and advocacy on human rights.

However, using WeChat is a trade-off, as users face drawbacks in terms of informational surveillance, misinformation, and other ethical concerns. “Of course will be disruptive and create real inconveniences that should not be denied,” acknowledged Wang, “At the same time, I think people should realize that the Chinese government uses this app to surveil and censor people. WeChat the company, Tencent, actively facilitates human rights abuses.”

For Uighurs and Tibetans, the app’s ban has been overwhelmingly considered a net positive, as the “temporary inconvenience of losing the app is worth the larger gains in their struggle for emancipation,” explained Tenzin Dorjee, senior researcher at Tibet Action Institute in a Washington Post op-ed. According to the Tibet Action Institute, at least 29 Tibetans were arrested or detained in connection to their WeChat posts between 2014 and 2019, though the exact number is believed to be much higher. Still, following India’s WeChat ban, exiled Tibetans experienced restricted communications, whereas previously, 71% of Tibetans in India used coded WeChat messages as the primary means of staying in touch with their families in Tibet.

Chinese people in the U.S. find themselves facing a similar tradeoff between convenience and surveillance, albeit with less severe risks. “I do know China censors the content, so a lot of times, my friends, when they type something, they need to type in a special way,” noted Joyce*. But she feels the pros generally outweigh the cons. “To be honest, I guess for me, I’m just the average Chinese. And I don’t have a lot of sensitive information or any conspiracies. I just want to talk to my parents.”

A common argument among those supporting the ban is that it fills a need for reciprocity in response to China’s banning of American social media apps, as the first step towards openness.

In response, critics of the ban worry about the eye-for-an-eye logic’s efficacy, asserting it could fracture the Internet if taken further with future app bans. Trump’s executive order doesn’t explicitly ban WeChat for demand in reciprocity or human rights violations. Instead, the ban decides between surveillance or connection for the Chinese community under vague national security reasons.

Wang brings up the Open Technology Fund, which the encrypted service Signal was initially developed through, as an example of how the U.S. could deal with China’s repression of information. “The U.S. government can support research and development of apps that are hard to be banned by the Chinese government,” she said.

Another concern with WeChat is the disinformation on the app. Without access to bilingual Chinese-English newspaper articles, many in the Chinese community turn to WeChat as their daily news source. “There are ways for the U.S. government, private sector, and civil society to invest in resources that are independent, create new information sources that are independent and fact-based.” She emphasized that expanding access to news that isn’t censored by the Chinese government is especially important for the Chinese diaspora.

As of now, Trump’s orders on WeChat are uncertain, perhaps deliberately so. On Sept. 25, the U.S. Justice Department filed to ask the federal judge to put on hold her preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Commerce Department restrictions on WeChat. Joyce* has planned to continue using WeChat for as long as possible, although she worries she will not be able to update the app in the future or that it will become incompatible with her phone: “If I cannot use the app, then I don’t know how to tell my parents ‘Hey, I’m alive here!’”

*Editor’s Note: Name has been changed to protect the identity of the interviewee.