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Tencent draws a line between WeChat and Weixin, telling users to choose as China’s strict new data laws come into effect

  • Tencent is sending notifications to Chinese Weixin users, asking them to switch to overseas WeChat accounts if they use an international phone number
  • The move comes as China cracks down on the collection and use of domestic user data with a new personal information law

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Tencent is asking some WeChat users to switch to overseas accounts if they use an international phone number. Under new Chinese data protection laws, user data for people in mainland China might be subject to different handling requirements. Photo: Shutterstock
Iris Dengin Shenzhen
WeChat, the ubiquitous messaging super app operated by Tencent Holdings, is asking users to choose between mainland China and overseas accounts, a move analysts say the social media giant is taking to comply with the country’s increasingly stringent laws and regulations concerning data sovereignty and content censorship.

Some users of Weixin, the Chinese name for WeChat used to refer to domestic accounts, who had foreign phone numbers attached to their accounts have received notifications asking them to change to international accounts, according to Chinese tech media IThome.

WeChat confirmed that some users received the notification, but did not elaborate.

After a user switches to a WeChat account, the company will move the account’s data to servers dedicated to overseas accounts within 10 working days, the notification said. Certain features such as the short video section, health codes and live streaming may be no longer available to them.

Users who have received the notifications can choose to ignore them and keep access to Weixin’s features, but the request will continue to pop up in the future.

Unlike some companies that operate completely separate apps abroad to comply with China’s strict content regulations – such as ByteDance’s separate Douyin and TikTok short video platforms accessed through near-identical apps – Tencent has only one platform for WeChat that separates accounts based on the phone numbers used for registration.

Accounts with mainland numbers have more menu options by default, but Tencent generally has not prevented overseas accounts from accessing those features through other means, such as when shared by a friend. Tencent also censors content for mainland and overseas accounts differently.

The new notifications suggest Tencent is taking a harder line in separating the two types of accounts as new Chinese laws on data security and personal information come into force. The Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), one of the world’s toughest on personal data security, could have far-reaching implications for cross-border data when it goes into effect in November, affecting how companies operate in the country.
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