What is WeChat's privacy policy?

WeChat’s privacy policy specifies retention periods for certain types of data, like location data, log data, and messaging data. The privacy policy also provides conditions in which user data may be shared with Weixin, a service operated in Shenzhen, China, such as by communicating with users with mainland China accounts.

Does WeChat have a privacy and security ecosystem?

Privacy in the WeChat Ecosystem This report is part one of a two-part series on a privacy and security analysis of the WeChat ecosystem. We’ve created an FAQ to accompany this report. This work performs the first analysis of WeChat’s tracking ecosystem.

Does WeChat have a third-party tracking ecosystem?

Another report investigated the third-party tracking ecosystem across 52 commonly used Mini Programs, found that many shared user data with third parties, and generally provided unsatisfactory notice and opt-outs to users. Since the CNCERT report, WeChat has attempted to tighten user data controls within its Mini Program ecosystem.

Is WeChat tightening user data controls?

Since the CNCERT report, WeChat has attempted to tighten user data controls within its Mini Program ecosystem. One such example is that web requests can no longer be directly made from the Mini Program, and instead must go through WeChat’s internal API.

Why did WeChat tighten privacy controls?

In early March 2020, Chinese super-app WeChat announced it was tightening privacy controls on third-party apps to restrict the collection of sensitive personal information to a smaller group of developers, citing “the recent coronavirus epidemic (Covid-19) prevention and control” as a reason.

Does WeChat have a content surveillance policy?

In the case of WeChat’s failure to explain its content surveillance policies, as well as the apparent retention of hashes of content even after a user has recalled it, makes clear that the company must more meaningfully communicate with its users.