WeChat app on a smartphone in a photo illustration taken on July 13, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)
By Andrew Chen
McGill University has announced a ban on the installation and use of the Chinese social media platform WeChat from all school-owned devices.
In a statement issued on Nov. 16, the university said it is prohibiting the use of the social media and messaging application on all McGill-managed or owned devices. This includes desktop and laptop computers, mobile phones, and tablets. Those in possession of devices that have already installed the app were asked to delete it. This measure took effect immediately.
While the university does not prohibit individuals from continuing to use WeChat on personal devices, it “strongly recommend[s]” that individuals do not access or store sensitive university data—such as internal communications, emails, personal information, student or employee records, or passwords—on devices that have installed WeChat.
“We remind you to be vigilant and exercise your discretion when using apps that can access your personal information if the proper privacy settings are not available or in place,” the statement reads.
This measure follows an Oct. 30 announcement from the Government of Canada banning WeChat from all government-issued devices, citing efforts to protect government information and ensure networks are secure. Subsequently, the Government of Quebec issued a directive on Nov. 3, prohibiting the use of the application on devices owned by Quebec public institutions.
On Nov. 14, another Quebec-based institution, Concordia University, issued a similar ban on WeChat. In Concordia’s case, its embargo is extended to personal devices with contracts paid for in part or in full by the university; all devices paid for by research grants; and all other devices that used to access Concordia-owned internet services.
Warnings
Chinese mobile applications like WeChat have increasingly drawn concerns from governments due to their potential security risks, as well as their use by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to project control and surveillance on ethnic and religious minorities.
A 2022 report, titled “National Cyber Threat Assessment 2023-2024,” warned that China and other malign state actors have been engaged in cyber threat activity targeting Canadians. The report was published by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, which operates under the Communications Security Establishment, the national cryptologic agency.
Specifically, the report said WeChat has been used for the purpose of “misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation” (MDM). It said such online foreign influence activities often target “linguistic minorities and diaspora communities in Canada.”
“State-sponsored cyber threat actors aim to influence these groups in order to minimize dissent or support the policies of their country of origin,” the report said. “These groups often interact on platforms that are semi-closed and censored according to restrictive content regulations, meaning that MDM can very likely spread more easily throughout these groups.”
“For example, WeChat, a social media app from China used by billions around the world, has been used to spread MDM and propaganda specific to the Chinese diaspora.”
In some cases, these threats extend beyond to target dissidents of the authoritarian regime.
In August, Global Affair Canada (GAC) reported “a coordinated network” of disinformation campaigns using WeChat to target Tory MP Michael Chong. This threat against Mr. Chong came days after the Globe and Mail published an article citing a top-secret analysis from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, indicating that the Chinese regime had targeted the MP over a motion he had sponsored in the House of Commons in 2021 to declare Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs in China as genocide.
The GAC further reported in October that Prime Minister Justine Trudeau, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, and dozens of MPs have been the target of a “spamouflage” campaign connected to Beijing. The GAC said spamouflage is a tactic involving the use of newly created or hijacked social media accounts to post and amplify propaganda messages across multiple platforms. The federal department noted that in this incident, other social media platforms like Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, were used in the attack.
TikTok
The ban on WeChat follows a similar prohibition from the federal government in February, which prohibited the use and installation of another application, TikTok, a subsidiary of Chinese technology firm ByteDance.
David Lieber, head of TikTok’s privacy public policy for the Americas, told MPs at a House of Commons Ethics Committee on Oct. 18, that the video-sharing app’s parent company has access to its user data.
However, he did not confirm whether the CCP can also access this data under its National Intelligence Law. Article 7 of the law stipulates that Chinese citizens and organizations, including private businesses, are obligated to provide support, assistance, and cooperation in the communist regime’s national intelligence operations.
Mr. Lieber also said that the Chinese regime has never requested user data from them, and that they “would not disclose user data to the Chinese government if we were requested to do so.”
In its latest announcement, McGill University reiterated its compliance with the government directive in banning TikTok from any devices provided by the institution. The university initiated this measure in February 2023.