WeChat

The main asset of Tencent is the WeChat messenger, which has about a billion active users (the vast majority of them are in China). The Chinese WeChat was created in 2010 by the local IT specialist Zhang Xiaolong - in it he tried to combine many different services, due to which the program gained great popularity: about 1.1 billion people decided to install the messenger, most of which, of course, are Chinese.

Focused strictly on the Asian market, it has 818 million active users, the total number of which is growing by about 14 million per month. Extending to Japan, the messenger of messages becomes a direct competitor for Line, although, having support for 52 languages, it may well take the "bronze" step in the rating of "global systems."

WeChat has several distinctive features. Firstly, due to the fact that many Western Internet services are blocked in China, including Facebook and Twitter, WeChat has relatively few competitors - and literally everyone uses it.

Second, WeChat is more than just a messenger; with its help, you can organize video conferences, and call abroad on mobile and landline phones, and send payments, and pay in supermarkets, and search for information on the Internet, and read news, and play games. Forbes back in 2014 called WeChat "the main application in China."

2023: Chinese authorities start fighting espionage with social media

On July 31, 2023, the Ministry of state Security China opened an official account on the social network WeChat. The authorities intend to use this web site to strengthen the fight against espionage.

The department's first publication on WeChat said counterintelligence work requires the mobilization of all walks of life, which combines "open and" secret work "as well as public engagement. The ministry says all state bodies, political parties, popular groups, businesses and other public organizations "have a duty to prevent and suppress espionage activities" and to ensure national security under current law.

China's Ministry of State Security sets up WeChat account

To combat espionage campaigns, "based on a serious and difficult situation in the field of counterintelligence," a number of measures were taken to create a line of people's protection to ensure national security. The ministry points out that government agencies, various institutions and other public groups need to increase the level of education related to maintaining national security, as well as "mobilize their personnel to prevent and suppress espionage activities."

Authorities at all levels and relevant departments are ordered to "organize propaganda" in the field of national security. In particular, news outlets, radio stations, television channels and other media should carry out targeted propaganda and education on counterintelligence issues for the whole society. At the same time, the national security agencies of the PRC need to publish telephone numbers and email addresses, by which citizens will be able to report espionage actions and other violations, subject to confidentiality.^[1]

2022

Launch of the SDEK application

SDEK on October 21, 2022 announced the launch of its own application in the Chinese social network WeChat. Read more here.

Active audience of 1.11 billion people

2021

Chinese state-owned companies have begun banning employees from using the WeChat super app

In late November 2021, it became known that some Chinese state-owned companies were restricting employees from using the popular domestic messaging app WeChat domestically, citing security concerns.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the management of at least nine state-owned companies, including the largest in the country, such as China Mobile and China Construction Bank, told employees that all chat groups created for work purposes in the WeChat application can contain confidential information and must be closed and deleted. The top manager of state-owned companies also ordered employees to use other messengers with caution, although they did not publicly report any security issues related specifically to WeChat. The restrictions come as China steps up scrutiny of internet giants including Tencent, the country's most valuable company.

Some Chinese state-owned companies have restricted employees from using the popular domestic messaging app WeChat domestically, citing security concerns.

Many companies around the world are moving to enterprise software to meet their internal communications needs. Tencent offers WeChat, as an office collaboration app, as just one solution for more productive communication, said Tencent co-founder Zhang Zhidong.

WeChat dominates Chinese social media, allowing users to communicate with interviewees, post updates to the feed, pay bills and call taxis. The app also offers access to government services such as COVID-19 vaccination records and tracking your personal contacts. Many Chinese companies, both public and private, use this application for internal and external communications.

At the end of December 2019, when the pandemic began, many users switched to the WeChat application, as a more effective means for communication when working remotely. The application itself and related services combined have more than 1.2 billion monthly active users around the world. The app is used by more than 5.5 million companies with 130 million monthly active users, Tencent said.^[2]

Opening up the ability to post links to competitors' content under pressure from the authorities

In September 2021, Tencent Holdings Ltd. for the first time allowed users of its main social media service, WeChat, to post links to rival content, taking the first steps in line with Beijing's call to "tear down the walls" around platforms run by the country's internet giants.

WeChat users can now connect to and access Taobao and Douyin content.

Blocking service in India

At the end of January 2021, the Ministry electronic engineers information technology India introduced a permanent blocking of 59 applications developed by Chinese companies. Among them are the TikTok WeChat messenger and the developed Alibaba browser, UC Browser the Clash of Kings game and a number of other applications. More. here

2020: US bans Tiktok and Wechat from September 20

Starting September 20, TikTok and WeChat should be removed from the AppStore, Google Play and other app marketplaces in the United^[3].

The ban is made for reasons of national security. This follows from the press release of the US Department of Commerce distributed on Friday.

"From September 20, the following activities are prohibited: any provision of services for the distribution or maintenance [operation] of the WeChat and TikTok applications through the online app store in the United States," it said. Apple and Google app stores will not be able to offer apps to install on any platform that may be available from the US.

US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross told the publication that the ban on downloading TikTok and WeChat is associated with the fight against China's collection of personal data of American users. "We have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of the personal data of American citizens while promoting our national values and democratic norms," Ross ‒ said.

2018

Integration with Yandex.Kassa

On November 15, 2018, Yandex.Money announced that Yandex.Cash had another way of accepting payments - through WeChat Pay. According to the company, this opportunity will be useful to retail outlets that work with Chinese tourists or intend to do so in the future. Read more here.

WeChat megaservice began working in Russia

Russia In, the WeChat Pay payment service began working, operating on the basis of the mega-popular Chinese messenger WeChat. So far, only citizens in Russia can use WeChat Pay. China In addition to Russia, the service operates in 16 more countries.

The operator of WeChat Pay transactions in Russia has become the international payment system Sendy, which allows you to pay from a mobile device using a QR code. On its website, Sendy published a message about the launch of WeChat Pay in Russia, to which the Roy resource^[4] attention].

WeChat Pay Capabilities

In WeChat, each user has a wallet with a unique dynamic QR code, which is assigned at the time of registration and changes 2 times a minute for security reasons. This code is used in settlements through WeChat Pay. To make a payment, the code is scanned at the checkout at the point of sale, then a confirmation password is entered. For a transaction, you can use both the buyer's code and the seller's code, for this the buyer just needs to scan it with his mobile device, in this case the cashier does not need to be additionally equipped. Often, sellers generate different codes for different goods and display them in the form of plates on shelves or at the checkout.

From the wallet in WeChat, the user can pay for purchases in the amount of up to 200 yuan (about 2.5 thousand rubles). The same amount can be sent to another user using the famous WeChat "red envelopes."

In addition, WeChat Pay can pay for fares on high-speed trains, intercity buses and airplanes. Also, the user can call and pay for a taxi, order food at home, buy a movie ticket, pay for utilities and make a donation to charity.

Sendy notes that to date in China, almost any goods and services are available for order through WeChat, and more foreign sellers are also joining the system.

2017: WeChat messenger to become official identification system in China

At the end of December 2017, it became known about the use of WeChat as an official means of identifying people in China. Through the messenger, it will be possible to access public services, register at a hotel or buy tickets. For comparison, in Russia, to access various "important" services, you need to log in through the public services system.

The pilot program was launched in Guangzhou, from January 2018 it will begin to operate throughout China. As conceived by the authorities, WeChat should become a virtual identity card that will replace traditional IDs^[5].

Messenger instead of public services: how WeChat becomes the official identification system in China

The idea is to use a facial recognition system for authorization in the WeChat application. It is assumed that this will avoid leaks of confidential information and eliminate the possibility of forging virtual passports

The program for using ID cards in WeChat was developed by a joint effort of a research institute under the Ministry of Public Security of China and the WeChat development team. The project was supported by banks and a number of government departments.

Virtual service ID cards will allow their owners to use government services and delivery services, register at hotels, buy tickets and make other actions and purchases in which you need to confirm your identity. Also, with the help of WeChat, you can even register your own company.

Chinese residents will be able to get two versions of the ID card: a "lightweight" version that is suitable, for example, for registration in an Internet cafe, and an "advanced" version that will allow registering a business.

According to the South China Morning Post, China has already conducted an experiment to create an electronic identification system for citizens. In June 2016, the Public Security Bureau in Wuhan (the capital of the central Chinese province of Hubei), together  with cAlipay, began testing a virtual passport program for 400 thousand urban residents to pass control at airports  and railway stations. As part of this pilot, users were identified by accounts at Alipay.

In addition, Alipay and WeChat have separately launched digital services replacing the use of driver's licenses and social security cards.

If the program for the creation and implementation of a virtual ID-card launched in December 2017 is successful, this will be another milestone in the evolution of the application from a simple messenger to a single identification system, the newspaper notes.^[6]

By the end of September 2017, the number of WeChat users who launch the messenger at least once a month amounted to 980 million. In addition to communication, the service offers functions of paying for services and transferring money.

2012: App audience - 100 million users

The timing of reaching the number of 100 million users by various applications

Notes