McGill University Bans WeChat From School-Issued Devices

WeChat app on a smartphone in a photo illustration taken on July 13, 2021. Dado Ruvic/Reuters

McGill University has announced a ban on the installation and use of the Chinese social media platform WeChat on all school-managed or -owned devices.

In a statement issued Nov. 16, 2023, the university said it was prohibiting the use of the social media and messaging application on all McGill-managed or -owned devices, including desktop and laptop computers, mobile phones, and tablets. Those in possession of devices that had already installed the app, including researched-funded devices, were asked to delete it. The measure took effect immediately.

While the university does not prohibit individuals from continuing to use WeChat on their personal devices using their personal accounts, it said “we strongly recommend” that individuals do not access or store “protected or regulated University data”—such as internal communications, emails, personal information, student or employee records, or passwords—on devices that have WeChat installed.

“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 move follows an Oct. 30, 2023, federal government announcement banning WeChat from all government-issued mobile devices, citing efforts to protect government information and ensure networks are secure.

Subsequently, the Quebec government issued a directive on Nov. 3 prohibiting the use of the application on devices and networks owned by Quebec public institutions.

On Nov. 14, Montreal-based Concordia University issued a similar ban on WeChat. In Concordia’s case, the ban is extended to personal devices whose contracts are paid for in part or in full by the university, all devices paid for by research grants, and all other devices that are used to access Concordia-owned internet services. The ban applies to both mobile and desktop devices.

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 carry out 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, Canada’s 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,” it 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,” the reported added.

“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, the threats target critics of the authoritarian regime.

In August 2023, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) reported “a coordinated network” of disinformation campaigns using WeChat to target Tory MP Michael Chong.

The 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 (CSIS) 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 a genocide.

GAC further reported in October 2023 that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, and dozens of MPs have been targets of a “spamouflage” campaign connected to Beijing.

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. It 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 issued by the federal government in February 2023, which banned the use and installation of another application, TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based 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, 2023, that the video-sharing app’s parent company has access to its user data.

However, Mr. Lieber 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 his company and that it “would not disclose user data to the Chinese government if we were requested to do so.”

In its announcement, McGill University reiterated its compliance with the government directive in banning TikTok from any devices provided by the institution, a measure it initiated in February 2023.