Possible removal of WeChat app in the United States

[Starwarsfan2]

I would say that I try to follow the libertarian manifesto. You should be free to do what ever you want as long as it doesn't negatively affect others. I would say that mask mandates still fit within my understanding of libertarian ideals. Having the United States government control what apps I can use does not. This is not China nor should we even slide down that slippery slope and become more like the Chinese government.

The Chinese own or have a great deal of influence on these apps and our intelligence sources believe they are being used by that government for nefarious purposes, so that would explain the need to stop it. As a Libertarian you should be okay with that.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

It's my #1 communicator app to speak to my son who lives in Beijing.

 

[MillauFr]

The Chinese own or have a great deal of influence on these apps and our intelligence sources believe they are being used by that government for nefarious purposes, so that would explain the need to stop it. As a Libertarian you should be okay with that.

Not at all. Doesn't everyone realize all of these apps basically just spying tools?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-go...to-track-phones-11596808801?mod=hp_lista_pos3

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I never even heard of this until today.

 

[bcla]

I never even heard of this until today.

It’s commonly used by Chinese-Americans and Americans communicating with people in China since Skype and WhatsApp don’t work there. It remains to be seen if it holds up in court. It wouldn’t be anything like ByteDance divesting TikTok because its primary reason for use in the US is that it connects to Wenxin users in China where that’s the predominant messaging/audio/video service.

 

[VandVsmama]

Don't use it, so I don't care. If the CIA, NSA, FBI, etc. are concerned enough, then yeah...I agree w/the US fed. government that we shouldn't be using it. I don't care if anybody mocks me or laughs for having that opinion.

 

[Starwarsfan2]

It's my #1 communicator app to speak to my son who lives in Beijing.

I have really not heard that the US was planning to ban the We Chat app, just Tik Tok. I know that India has already banned both of them. But surely there must be some substance to the accusations, as this is not a move that makes the younger crowd happy at all.

 

[Starwarsfan2]

Not at all. Doesn't everyone realize all of these apps basically just spying tools?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-go...to-track-phones-11596808801?mod=hp_lista_pos3

So they are all spy tools, so we should just let it go? That would equate to malfeasance on the part of our intelligence agencies. Don't think for a minute we are not involved in a cold war with China. They are doing their job even when it is not a very popular thing to do.

 

[MillauFr]

So they are all spy tools, so we should just let it go? That would equate to malfeasance on the part of our intelligence agencies. Don't think for a minute we are not involved in a cold war with China. They are doing their job even when it is not a very popular thing to do.

Unfortunately the powers that be have made the spying legal. The mislabeled USA Patriot Act legalized all sorts of this nonsense that needs to be stopped. Both parties are in on it. There are only a few true patriots in congress that want to stop these outrageous intrusions.

 

[bcla]

Well, if you don’t have WeChat or TikTok downloaded in the US, Sunday is the last day unless there’s a court order blocking the move.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1306930885292421120

 

[RamblingMad]

I have a lot of Chinese friends whose primary means on communications with family and friends is through WeChat, since other methods won’t work. I mentioned the possibility that communications to China were being monitored, and one friend said he didn’t care since that’s a given even when someone sends email, texts, or makes a phone call.

This would be devastating for a lot of people I know.

A lot of my friends from India use WeChat. Another alternative that people can use is signal.

 

[bcla]

A lot of my friends from India use WeChat. Another alternative that people can use is signal.

Didn’t WeChat get banned in India? I heard it was over the small time fighting at their border.

 

[RamblingMad]

Didn’t WeChat get banned in India? I heard it was over the small time fighting at their border.

I mean domestically in the US. I don’t know of any ban.

 

[wvjules]

So if you have them downloaded you can keep them but there will be no new downloads after Sunday?

 

[bcla]

I mean domestically in the US. I don’t know of any ban.

After several skirmishes on the border, India banned the use of several apps produced by Chinese companies. But I thought maybe you were thinking of people communicating with their friend/relatives in India using WeChat.

I was working with several people in India, and we used WhatsApp. Of course it's banned in China.

 

[bcla]

So if you have them downloaded you can keep them but there will be no new downloads after Sunday?

Possibly. It's unclear on whether or not WeChat will still have access to their servers where traffic flows. I thought the ones for the US were based in Canada.

 

[ronandannette]

Why is it being removed? Isn't removal/denial of access to apps more of a thing done in Communist countries?

Yep - so they can funnel all communication through monitored channels - such as WeChat.

If sharing videos and playing games are the biggest problems people have to worry about, they are very fortunate indeed. Those are trivial to me, but YMMV.

Well, there’s always the principle of the thing - free people willingly giving themselves over to being monitored by the darkest and most oppressive regime on earth...but I digress.

 

[JimMIA]

Well, there’s always the principle of the thing - free people willingly giving themselves over to being monitored by the darkest and most oppressive regime on earth...but I digress.

Yes, I agree with you on that one, but of course we all do it too with just about every app on our phones.

The obvious difference is that the Chinese don't use the data collected for marketing, lol! They use it to identify, track, and eliminate dissidents or to steal proprietary information from international business people.

I'm in favor of shutting down those apps, even if it does inconvenience some folks.

 

[godisney14]

It would be a minor inconvenience...the loss of a smart phone app. They will communicate in other, less convenient, ways.

The reason given by the President is national security concerns. And one of the first proponents of banning TikTok and WeChat was Congressman Adam Schiff -- who led the impeachment prosecution of President Trump.

The fact that those two political figures agree on the issue makes me think there is substance to the security concerns.

But neither of them are active here on the DIS, so they probably don't know much as our posters.

Your stance is very clear from that misinformation.
What is at the root of why these apps are being singled out versus all the other apps regardless of origin?

 

[RamblingMad]

Yes, I agree with you on that one, but of course we all do it too with just about every app on our phones.

The obvious difference is that the Chinese don't use the data collected for marketing, lol! They use it to identify, track, and eliminate dissidents or to steal proprietary information from international business people.

I'm in favor of shutting down those apps, even if it does inconvenience some folks.

Then shutdown Facebook too.