The company behind the WeChat messaging app has denied claims it is storing the chat histories of its millions of users.
The denial comes after a top businessman in China claimed the firm “must be watching all our WeChats every day.”
Li Shufu, who chairs Geely Holdings, owner of Volvo, was referring to the app’s ability to censor posts deemed illegal by China’s ruling Communist Party.
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However, in comments reported by Reuters, the app’s owner Tencent Holdings, strongly denied the accusation.
A spokesperson for the company wrote: “WeChat does not store any users’ chat history. That is only stored in users’ mobiles, computers and other terminals.
“WeChat will not use any content from user chats for big data analysis. Because of WeChat’s technical model that does not store or analyze user chats, the rumor that ‘we are watching your WeChat everyday’ is pure misunderstanding.”
Poor privacy record
Tecent Holdings is one of the top three tech companies in China and also owns stakes in Snap, Tesla and Riot Games. It is valued at over $500 billion.
Reuters also points out the firm has a sketchy reputation for safeguarding the privacy of its users.
When it comes to encryption and privacy Amnesty International ranks the firm dead last of the 11 companies that run popular chat applications.
Over 500 million people around the world use WeChat.
Do you trust the top messaging apps aren’t snooping on your chats? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
