WeChatвЂ™s servers are outside of China and not subject to Chinese law, while WeixinвЂ™s servers are in China and subject to Chinese law.вЂќ Weixin and WeChat use different servers, with data stored in different locations. If you register by any other method you will be using WeChat, the version for international users.

In a statement sent to The Verge, Tencent pointed out the following: вЂњIf you register with a Chinese mobile number (+86), you will be using Weixin, the version for Chinese users. Tencent operates a dual system for WeChat and Weixin: the apps should not be viewed as one and the same, as separate rules apply to both. These mainly relate to the issue of data privacy. WeChat has been attracting more publicity as the various concerns associated with its use have been more widely shared. One of these, WeChat, owned by Tencent and known as Weixin in its home country, has over one billion users, making it the most popular chat app in China, and one of the largest in the world. While debates continue, analysts have also recently been focusing on the use of Chinese social messaging apps. Over the last couple of years, a great deal of attention in western countries has been directed towards the Chinese telecom companies Huawei and ZTE, which have been banned from participating in the 5G market by various governments, due to concerns over cyber espionage.

Is wechat safe to use outside of china