Everyday there are apps on my phone tracking my location, searches or purchases. When I hop into my car around 8 AM, directions to work pop up on my home screen. Facebook suggests people who may be my friends, Spotify suggests music I might like and Ticketmaster notifies me of upcoming events near me I might be interested in. This information is all coming from different sources which I can decide to turn off or restrict but what if all of my apps were in one?
In China, they call this Weixin. It is a search engine, social media, messaging, banking and more all wrapped into one Smartphone app. It is owned by Tencent who has done an excellent job at providing their target audiences’ needs all in one place. The generation of instant gratification is delivered all of their digital needs on one app, in the palm of their hands.
While at first look, this seems like a great idea. You just go to one place to connect with your friend, order lunch, catch up on the latest news and schedule your hair appointment. Like the individual apps, Weixin is able to track all of these connections but they will then be able to take it one step further by connecting all of the information to make a complete profile of you. This user behavior can help Weixin create customized offers for you or learn when to send you offers that you will most likely click on. Your personal information and app history is also stored and can be given to the Chinese government.
Aside from privacy issues, Weixin is also able to control what information you receive and how you receive it. What is to stop Weixin from censoring news? When one company has control of so many digital assets, what is to stop them from charging you for their services or raising the prices? Users become so accustomed to using this one platform, it makes it difficult to untangle themselves and disengage.
I remember when Verizon offered us a bundle that was too good to be true. We bundled our home phone, yes we had a landline, television, internet and cell phone service for one low price. One of the problems that arose is that if the internet went out, we also lost phone and television. If there was an issue with Weixin, would you lose the use of all of your apps?
While Weixin, may seem like a great idea. Maybe it would save you time or it would be easier just to learn one app. What are you willing to give up for this convenience? Your privacy? Your identity. Honestly, I think we all need to stop blindly agreeing to those terms of service or privacy policies when downloading new apps. Who know what you have already agreed to?
If this article has you thinking about the safety of the apps on your mobile device I found this publication with some tips on app safety from Secure Florida: https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Publications/Documents/Brochures/App-Safety-Brochure.aspx
Weixin is currently just for Chinese mainland users but the international version WeChat is available on the app store. When you search WeChat you can find many reasons not to use it. Privacy issues, malware and encryption issues are just a few. Have you or will you try WeChat?