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One of WeChat public account claimed the U.S. to conceal the information of epidemic and make hamburgers with corpses; More than a million people read on average; the account was banned permanently

(26 May) WeChat public account in China called “ZhiDao School” had more than a million followers, it was even the top of the most influential public account in April. However, recently Tencent banned this account permanently because of making up fake news.

Before banning, the last article was to criticize the U.S. hiding the epidemic information and making hamburgers with dead bodies. They could solve the issue of food shortage and handling corpses. Another article was about China’s military has advantage over the US’s military. It is because due to time zone difference, if China firedmissile today, US would have got attack yesterday. The U.S. couldn’t defence such kind “hyperspace attack”.

Many similar types of articles were published by “ZhiDao School”, for example, English was a low-level language, Olympics was sex party, people outside the Great Wall of China were refugees or boars. But recently this public account made rare criticism towards Chinese, it insinuated Zhong Nanshan, a fellow of engineering academy, as a beneficiary of “multinational drugs corporation”.

Tencent banned WeChat public account of “ZhiDao School” since Monday. However, its website and Sina Weibo still functioned well, and announced that it got complaints by “internet marketer” on a large scale. That’s why the account was blocked temporarily. After seeing the announcement, some netizens left messages saying that they were upset since they couldn’t read the article at once, they also asked whether there would be a new [public] account.

Mass communication scholar of Zhang Jiang pointed out the government allowed these types of self-media to exist. A ban this time was only because it was too over. He said patriotic was business now. “It is politics behind the business. But politics is changeable. The voice of against the West may be strong today. But if tomorrow the trend is to improve the relationship with the West, they will be sacrificed. These self-medias are just like tissue paper, being used when wiping is needed. Otherwise, they are thrown away.” However, Zhang reminded no matter how popular these articles are, it still couldn’t be used to judge the primary trend in China, because all the information that the rest of the world could see is all censored by the authority.

Source: iCable China Team

#China #US #Wechat #FakeNews #Coronavirus #Epidemic #hamburgers
#Newspaper

WeChat froze 300 thousand RMB capital suddenly
A user asked government authority to help, Authority said Tencent has ownership of the account

(21 Jun) According to a news report from local media in China, Miss Wong in Fuzhou operates an advertising company and settles most of the transactions via WeChat. Due to suspected violation in her deal, some functions of collecting money in her account had been restricted. Afterwards, Tencent directly froze her account, including 300 thousand RMB.

Miss Wong contacted customer services of Tencent immediately and provided company details, invoice records and her identity information after she knew her account was frozen. After appealing more than ten times, the result was still “remain unchanged”. She even didn’t know which rule she had violated in transactions.

Miss Wong asked the media to help. With the help of media, Miss Wong got the reply from Tencent, “user has right of using WeChat, but Tencent has ownership of the account.

Finally, after journalist intervened two days later, the restriction in Miss Wong’s account was lifted. Tencent apologized for that and explained that was an internal mistake. After media reporting this case, Wechat has an official message in Weibo, “Remember, your money is yours.” However, netizens in mainland China were dissatisfied with this case since Tencent didn’t have the right to freeze users’ money.

Source: Fanpiece

#WeChat #Tencent #AccountFrozen #China #ElectronicPayment
#Newspaper

India Bans Nearly 60 Chinese Apps
, Including TikTok and WeChat

// India government banned nearly 60 Chinese mobile apps on Monday, including TikTok, citing national security concerns

//While India has vowed to retaliate, it lags far behind China in military and economic power, leaving it with few options. But Chinese telecommunication and social networking companies have long eyed India’s giant market and its enormous potential.

//The Chinese apps were “stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India,”

//“The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defense of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures,”

//This month’s border brawl was the worst violence between the two nuclear-armed countries in more than 50 years.

//Cybersecurity analysts have warned in the past about the risks Chinese apps and telecom companies may pose, citing the country’s National Intelligence Law. The law holds Chinese companies legally responsible for providing access, cooperation or support for Chinese intelligence gathering.

//while the Indian government has had longstanding worries that Chinese companies are dominating local markets and are beating out Indian app developers, it also has national security concerns about what China does with the data it collects.

//Internet researchers have long warned that competing national interests could lead to a more fractured internet, with people’s access to certain information and services limited by their governments.

Full article: The New York Times,(29-Jun)

Further reading:
PM Modi quits Chinese app Weibo, message loud and clear, says BJP
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-modi-quits-weibo-chinese-app-6485545/

#India #China #Tiktok #WeChat #apps #military #cybersecurity #datacollect
#Newspaper

Twitter and TikTok in fake news firing line

//China’s political manipulation of social media sites has prompted a swift response from the Morrison government.

//In early 2019, a delegation of senior Australian government officials travelled to Shenzhen, China, where they were permitted into a gleaming, two-towered building in the city’s far west.

//The AEC’s idea was to open the lines of communication with the social media player, recognising the platform as a potential conduit for disinformation ahead of the May 18, 2019 federal election.

//Similar meetings took place in Silicon Valley with Twitter, Facebook and Google. But recognising #WeChat’s two million-plus user base in #Australia

//#Tencent was “receptive”, Rogers says, opening the way for a “collaborative relationship” during the 2019 campaign.

//However, just over 12 months later, an explosion of fake news around the world and the rise of misinformation and foreign government interference across almost all the biggest social media platforms has infuriated the Morrison government

//Twitter released an archive of 23,750 suspended accounts connected to Chinese state-backed ­information operations... These accounts aimed to sow discord across several fronts — including propaganda against Hong Kong protesters who are portrayed repeatedly as violent and referred to as “cockroaches”, and in linking the COVID-19 outbreak to Hong Kong or the US.

//Twitter is banned in China, but most of the misinformation is aimed at the Chinese-speaking ­diaspora, including in Australia.

//WeChat has an estimated 2.9 million Australian users. Australian political parties believe the platform has the potential to affect election results in up to six federal seats, which have high numbers of Chinese-Australian voters.

//Its aim is to use Australian ­diplomacy... to call out disinformation and shame the state actors behind fake news.

//the use of social media platforms in Australia “that are extensions of social platforms in authoritarian states” pose a particular problem.

//foreign state-sponsored social media campaigns can be conducted at any time in response to geopolitical developments, not just during elections.

//Australia needs to spend less on submarines and more on bolstering cyber defences and weeding out disinformation from strategic rivals, including China.

//“China is also being blamed for COVID-19, so they are reaching out around the globe to try and control these narratives,”

//The government has also tasked communications watchdog ACMA with developing a new #misinformation and news quality code of practice, in a bid to reduce the impact of fake news.

Full Article: The Australian, (11-Jul)

#ChinesePlatform #FakeNews #Tiktok #cyberdefence #SocialMedia #Election #Coronavirus #propaganda
#Newspaper

Tencent’s
WeChat cuts off service in India amid the country’s ban on Chinese apps

//Tencent and other Chinese app operators have had no option but to fall in line with India’s ban, at a time when they also find themselves under increasing pressure from the Trump administration in the US over privacy and censorship issue

//India on Monday banned 47 more Chinese apps after blocking 59 others over privacy and national security concerns, according to an information ministry official and media reports.

//“We value each of our users, and data security and privacy are of utmost importance to us,” the notice said. “We are engaging with relevant authorities and hope to be able to resume service in the future.”

//Some affected Indian users reached out to WeChat’s Twitter account for help.

//Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington could sanction Chinese social media apps, including TikTok and WeChat, over privacy issues and potential national security risks.

//That has sparked anxiety among many overseas Chinese who use WeChat to keep in touch with family and friends back home, as well as many western companies and individuals who use the app for business.

//The ban came on the back of online protests calling for people in the vast South Asian country to boycott a range of Chinese-made goods, from apps to smartphones, after a deadly skirmish between the Indian Army and Chinese troops along the two nations’ disputed Himalayan border on June 15.

//While there are many uncertainties about the ban, particularly about how it will be enforced in the long term, other affected Chinese app providers have also moved to comply with the Indian government’s directive, including removing their presence in app stores.


Full Article:South China Morning Post(27-Jul)
https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3094834/tencents-wechat-cuts-service-india-amid-countrys-ban-chinese-apps


#Tenent #Tiktok #wechat #India #Chineseapps
#MadeInChina #COVID19Vaccine #FakeVaccine
Made-in-China Fake COVID19 Vaccine Sold Via Chinese WeChat

Currently, no COVID-19 vaccine has been proven and manufactured for use in the world. Howevet, a fake vaccine can already be found on the internet in China. This fake vaccine claims to be produced from a "well-known" pharmaceutical company. Each dose of vaccine is marked at 498 RMB (~ 72 USD).

According to Chinese media reports, netizens have put “fake vaccines” on WeChat for sale. A WeChat message reads, “Please contact me if you need a COVID-19 vaccine. We do export as well. But, you will be on a waitlist first due to limited supply.” Also, it claims that the first batch of vaccines will be officially on sale on 2 September 2020.

Another message reads, “A China-made vaccine is already available. One dose is 498 RMB. Each treatment needs three doses in total. Healthcare workers and those who need to go abroad have priority. The vaccine will be widely available by the end of this year.”

The name of the vaccine “CoronaVac an inactivated vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 (Vero cell)“ is printed on the package and the product’s barcode could be traced to Sinovac Biotech and Wuhan Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd.

Source: Liberty Times, Taiwan #Aug13

https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/3259576

#CoronaVac #WeChat
Washington Sanctions HK and Chinese Officials

The United States has imposed sanctions on Hong Kong officials, including the city's pro-China leader Carrie Lam, for being directly responsible for implementing the national security law, working with the Chinese Communist Party in undermining the autonomy and cracking down on the freedoms in Hong Kong.

The US Treasury Department said the sanctions on Lam and 10 other officials were authorised by an executive order signed recently by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

One of the results of this action is that blocks all property and/or other assets that the individuals have within US jurisdiction.

In the midst of this, the US is also seeking to ban several Chinese social media services due to security reasons. There is also a tariff war going on between US and China over Beijing's technological ambitions.

Source: ABC News Australia #Aug08

#USA #China #SanctionList #TikTok #WeChat #ByteDance #Huawei #TariffWar

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-08/us-sanctions-pro-china-leader-of-hong-kong,-other-officials/12537472
#OpinionArticle

The Pentagon Is Urging Its Subordinates Not To Test Their Genes Casually, How About You?

(24 Aug) On 20 December, 2019, the U.S. Department of Defense issued an internal memo advising its component personnel not to use commercial DNA testing kits, citing the potential security risks posed by these tests.

//but the protection of privacy for the subject is close to zero. Even if you buy the set under a false name, pay for it with a secret credit card, and receive it at an address that is not your own, the DNA sample is unique to you and can be traced back to only you.

//In the People's Republic of China, notifications can even be set up as a
WeChat widget, which is how your personal genetic information is linked to WeChat. As long as you have a few more people around you who are genetically linked to you for testing, your relationship and your personal identity will have nowhere to hide.

Full translation: https://telegra.ph/The-Pentagon-Is-Urging-Its-Subordinates-Not-To-Test-Their-Genes-Casually-How-About-You-09-07

Source: Pazu’s Facebook
https://bit.ly/2R2Gjsc
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo

#DNAtest #GeneticInformation #Privacy #CommunityWideTesting #WeGene #CircleDNA #23MagicCube #WeChat
WeChat Censorship Tightens with Chinese State Media Articles Containing Sensitive Words Blocked Too, Says University of Toronto Study

A report by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab released this week shows that censorship on WeChat has been tightened. The lab tracked changes to WeChat’s list of censored words between this January and May. It was found that over 2,000 words relating to the pandemic have been marked sensitive and blocked. An article by the state media, too, would disappear from the platform if it contains any of those sensitive words, shwoing that the freedom of expression on WeChat is even more limited than that allowed by the state media.

As WeChat censors contents on a remote server, it was not possible for the researchers to understand how the censorship works by inspecting the codes. What they did instead was to create three dummy accounts with one Chinese and two Canadian numbers. They then started a group conversation where they shared Chinese-language articles from media organizations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. By observing which articles were blocked, they identified the words deemed sensitive by WeChat.

The study reveals that more than 2,000 words relating to the Wuhan virus pandemic were blocked by WeChat between this January and May, even if they came in an article by the state media. That WeChat banned certain topics allowed by the state-controlled media is a sign that it adheres to an even more stringent standard.

The investigation shows how WeChat has manipulated the narrative on the pandemic from the start. It was found that back when Wuhan was placed under lockdown, WeChat was already blocking texts containing the name of the whistle-blower Li Wenliang. Reports of the Chinese authorities informing the US of the outbreak as early as on 3 January were also blocked. Articles containing the terms “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” and “SARS-CoV-2”, too, were banned from being circulated.

As the epidemic spread to the rest of world in March, WeChat began blocking articles mentioning such international organizations as the WHO and the Red Cross and those that dealt with outbreaks in countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, and the UK. Articles containing keywords about the US and international relations were also banned.

#UniversityOfToronto #UofT #CitizenLab #China #WeChat #Censorship #Pandemic #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #LiWenliang

Source: Apple Daily #Aug29

https://bit.ly/3h3ftL4
#Sanction
U.S. to Ban Transaction and Download of China's #WeChat and #Tiktok From Sept 20, 2020

The U.S. Department of Commerce issued a statement on Sept 18, 2020, prohibiting transactions and downloads relating to Chinese mobile applications WeChat and TikTok, starting from Sept 20, 2020. Hosting or transfering internet traffic associated with WeChat will also be banned.

"The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the U.S."

These threats include "collect[ing] vast swaths of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories"; being "active participant in China’s civil-military fusion"; and their "mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP."

Source: U.S. Commerce Department #Sept18
Image: AP

https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2020/09/commerce-department-prohibits-wechat-and-tiktok-transactions-protect
Australian Media Said a WeChat Group Organised to Complain University Staff, Suppressing on Giving a Higher Score

Australia is the first choice for many Chinese students studying abroad. The Australian discovered that a local WeChat group initiated an organised petition to complain about individual staff, intending to obtain a better academic result through suppression. The media then found out that the same group uses the same method to target lecturers and researchers who have ever criticised China.

According to The Australian, Sydney International Student Help Group, the WeChat group, claimed that they could overthrow the unsatisfied exam results or assignment grades at the advertisement in the chats and on the local Chinese websites. The media once pointed out that some lecturers at universities lowered the grade boundaries for students who have limited English proficiency, or else, they would receive complaints from hundreds of students. At the time, some affected students speculated that there might have other people helping students to organise and to write the complaint letter.

The group administrators are named “Chairperson” or “Senior” with unknown identities. After the investigation by The Australian, “Monkey King”, a migration and studying abroad agency, may take control of the group admin. The Australian therefore enquired Monkey King, but the spokesperson Katie Howe refused to comment on this issue. Nevertheless, the representative lawyer of one of the shareholders, Chenrul Dong, said that the company did use the group for service promotion, but do not have the permission to control the group. Apart from institutions, the company website also shows the corporation relationship with Chinese organisations, such as NetEase and Today Media Group.

#China #Australia #AcademicFreedom #Suppression #TheAustralian #MonkeyKing #WeChat

Source: Stand News #Nov19

https://bit.ly/3mmcroH
Australian PM's response of 'Australian Army Killing Children' Picture Controversy Censored by Wechat for 'Misleading and Contrary to Objective Facts'

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian caused a diplomatic storm after posted a cartoon satirising killing the Afghan civilians by Australian soldiers on Twitter. On Tuesday (1 December), Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison posted a comment on WeChat in response to Zhao, but was deleted by WeChat, due to "inflammatory, misleading and contrary to objective facts". The incident has also caught international attention, such as New Zealand, France, the United States, the United Kingdom and Taiwan, issuing statements supporting Australia.

Zhao Lijian recently shared a cartoon on the social networking site Twitter, sketching Australian soldiers killing an Afghan child. Morrison criticised China on Monday (30 November) that the fake image is offensive and revolting, and demanded an apology with image removal from China.

Morrison later issued another WeChat commentary, saying that the military crime report allegations were being dealt with in an "honest and transparent" manner, stressing that Australia was dealing with military crimes in the way that "any free, democratic and enlightened country" would. Morrison also said that the diplomatic row between Australia and China would not diminish Australia's respect and appreciation for the Chinese people. Australian media said 57,000 people had clicked to view the comment.

Source: Stand News #Dec03

https://bit.ly/2KSq0P0

#China #Australia #SinoAustrlianRelations #ChineseForeignMinistry #ChineseForeignMinistrySpokesman #ZhaoLijian #AustralianPrimeMinister #ScottMorrison #SatireCartoon #AustralianSoldier #WeChat #Censorship
WeChat Becomes a Powerful Surveillance Tool Everywhere in China

WeChat has become one of the most powerful tools in Beijing’s arsenal for monitoring the public, censoring speech and punishing people who voice discontent with the government. Its dominance in Chinese society has become more entrenched in 2020 due to remote working and learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tencent and Alibaba developed health-rating systems for government as one of the main contact-tracing tools to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The health codes embedded within WeChat and Alipay have become essential passes in China for entering residences, office buildings and accessing public transportation.

WeChat uses client-to-server encryption, which grants Tencent full access to data between senders and recipients, as opposed to end-to-end encryption, said Fergus Ryan, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank created by the Australian government.

China’s internet firewall has long blocked foreign sites and messaging apps, including Google, WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook, but these can be accessed via virtual private networks (VPN).

“Some of my friends and clients switch to Signal or FaceTime for sensitive conversations. Still, for the majority of people, they don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to get over the firewall for daily communications,” said Zhang Qingfang, a Beijing-based human-rights lawyer.

Source: WSJ #Dec22

https://www.wsj.com/articles/wechat-becomes-a-powerful-surveillance-tool-everywhere-in-china-11608633003

#HealthCode #WeChat #Tencent #Alibaba #Censorship
Chinese Political Censorship Reaches the U.S., North America WeChat users could be blocked at any time.

The U.S. government originally planned to block WeChat overseas version last September, but the court suspended the ban and the appeal will be heard next Thursday (January 14). President-elect Joe Biden's transition team did not comment on the ban. Some WeChat users in North America said their content was subject to political censorship. Some comments and news reposts that would cause discontent in China were blocked. Some Chinese dissidents in exile in the U.S. said they support Trump's blocking order, despite the inconvenience the WeChat ban has caused Chinese immigrants.

The Chinese messaging app WeChat has a strict censorship system. A large number of posts in support of Hong Kong's anti-extradition law have been deleted from its platform over the past two years. The Washington Post reported that WeChat's censorship of user postings has reached into the United States. Some accounts registered in the U.S. have had their posts on the platform blocked by WeChat, preventing their friends from viewing the content.

Source: Apple Daily #Jan09

https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20210109/PHUV2W4CVJH3XMAQPO2QMGTEBY/

#China #US #WeChat #censorship #PoliticalCensorship #CensorshipinUS #WashingtonPost