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As an American, I would never download a Chinese app like WeChat or use a digital service based in China.
by notliketherest 10y ago
As an American, I would never download a Chinese app like WeChat or use a digital service based in China.
- tomek_zemla 10y agoYour computer on which you typed this comment was most likely made in China...
- formula_ninguna 10y agomy clothers is made in China. so?
- tomek_zemla 10y agoThe point is that tracking systems are often embedded in hardware.
- verst 10y agoI'm German and (as stereotypes would have it) extremely privacy conscious. Having lived in the US for over a decade I've reluctantly come to terms with the lesser privacy standards here. For a long time I refused to keep a lot of information on Facebook as Facebook seemed to only consider privacy as an afterthought after users expressed outrage (I appreciate transparency about the use of data so I can make my own decision). I refused to use the sign-in with Facebook functionality as I had no interest in giving third parties access to my FB data. Eventually I just gave up and now use Facebook sign-in everywhere because it simply is much more convenient. When I traveled to China a year ago the utility of using WeChat or Baidu Maps was simply too great. I was well aware that using these applications almost certainly would surrender information to the Chinese government. Interestingly enough, because I assumed that this would happen one way or another during my 3 months stay I felt more inclined to use these applications. WeChat is the only viable way to keep in touch with all of my Chinese friends in China and in the US.
- idra 10y agoNo it's not. There's Whatsapp for starters, which isn't blocked in China. There's always email. If your Chinese friends are ignorant about privacy, it doesn't mean you need to sacrifice yours. > the utility of using WeChat or Baidu Maps was simply too great "Give me convenience or give me death"
- iklos55 10y agoThis is amazing - you're saying that Wechat has privacy issues but advertise Whatsapp.
- idra 10y agoI knew this would come up, but Whatsapp is still miles ahead of Wechat regarding privacy. And especially regarding invasions of privacy where the Chinese government is involved, which I am pretty sure Whatsapp is safe from. First, Whatsapp advertises to have end-to-end encryption, which Wechat doesn't have. Second, your private Wechat conversations can be used against you as evidence in court, while any evidence collected with NSA tools cannot, since it is technically illegal. If you want privacy from the US government, then you probably shouldn't use Whatsapp. In any other situation it is vastly superior.
- FabHK 10y agoI wish everyone would just install Signal and Wire - it's not that hard :-/
- coconutoperator 10y agoPrivacy is pretty much finished whether you are using a service from China or anywhere else. Given there are more surveillance to come in post-terrorism era.