Some discussions and even articles mention the security of using the messaging application, WeChat. WeChat, especially in China, is very essential in all of the local’s day-to-day life. They use WeChat to order supplies, food, drinks, and even to pay their bills online. You can also try to rent a car or bicycle through their app. WeChat almost offers different services that you can think of and with this much data that they get from us, you probably wondering if it is safe to use.

It has been said that WeChat does not support any end-to-end encryption and it is also not recommended to be used by security experts because of the number of restrictions they induce and the amount of data they have about the user.  As long as you are not sending any confidential or important files using WeChat, then you do not need to worry about your privacy being breached. It is more about the user being careful and mindful of the files that they send to other users.

How to use WeChat safely

The best and only way to be absolutely sure you’re safe from WeChat’s surveillance is to never register for it in the first place. If you still need a way to communicate with contacts in China, we suggest using another app and a reliable VPN provider that works in China.

However, dropping WeChat entirely might be difficult for many people. If you live in China, it’s almost impossible not to use WeChat. So here’s how to use it safely:

• Be cautious. Don’t share sensitive information on the app. Try to discuss these things in person or over a secure messaging app. 
• Pay attention to permissions. Try to limit them to only the ones that are necessary for the app to function properly. 
• Use a strong password. If you reuse passwords often, at least come up with a separate one for WeChat. This way, if WeChat gets compromised, it won’t affect your other accounts. Need help coming up with a strong password? Try using a password generator. 
• Get another device. If you can, consider having a dedicated smartphone for WeChat communication.
• Update often. This goes for any popular app. The more users a service has, the more attractive it is to cybercriminals. To minimize the risk of a serious data breach, always update your app to get the latest security patches.

Tencent claims that privacy and security is their top priority. However, their actions don’t reflect those values. The company can’t prove they never give away their users’ data to the authorities. There’s no end-to-end encryption. And the active monitoring and real-time censorship is just one more item on the long list of issues this app has. This is probably why the US government is planning to ban WeChat unless an American company buys it.