Is news on WeChat censored?Ī recent Lowy Institute survey on Being Chinese in Australia found that while most Chinese-Australians rely on WeChat for Chinese-language news (86%) and contact with friends and family (66%), many are sceptical about the reliability of news shared on the platform. With the private account, you can post or participate in individual chats or group chats with friends.īut because it is based in China, and subject to censorship rules of the Chinese Communist Party, WeChat is not the same as platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp – and any decision to use it by Australian political parties comes with risks. WeChat also has private accounts, which are like a Facebook personal account. You need to be a Chinese citizen to apply for an official account, but foreign companies and Australian politicians have obtained accounts through agencies based in China, who offer to register the account on behalf of the organisation. This is where Chinese-language media operate, along with other organisations and businesses. “Official accounts”, also known as WeChat subscriptions, are like Facebook pages where you can follow and read the latest posts published by the page owner. WeChat is also a major publishing, advertising and communications tool for businesses, both inside and outside China. Even street food vendors now display the QR codes that drive the system. It’s needed to pay for goods and to order taxis. It has become so ubiquitous in China that it’s hard to function without a WeChat account. WeChat is sometimes referred to as a Swiss army knife application: a mega app combining the functionality of Facebook, WhatsApp, Uber and Paypal.

Pm loses wechat account election looms