How a red dot hid Huawei story from Canadian readers

Censorship on popular Chinese app WeChat blocked all negative news

Users of China’s hugely popular social-media app WeChat know it well: the big red dot.

The dot lets them know the news article they want to read is no longer available. It says the link is suspected of phishing or malware and has been blocked. In reality, the dot often appears when the Chinese government doesn’t want a story seen.

Launched in 2011 by Chinese company Tencent Holdings, WeChat now has a billion monthly users worldwide and is an essential platform for a plethora of media outlets, communities and businesses.

Last week, the dot came and went during the bail hearing of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies. Meng was arrested in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of American authorities over fraud allegations. She was released on $10-million bail to await an extradition ordeal.

But immigrants from China who still use WeChat in Canada to get their news noticed the red dot appeared when things weren’t looking good for Meng. Arrested, in legal limbo and the subject of worldwide attention, it looked as though she could be spending the next few months in custody. When she was down and out, the red dot was there blocking Chinese-language news stories about the arrest. But once Meng’s fortunes changed and she was released on bail, the red dot went back into hiding and WeChat users could read all about her.

That was no accident, said Samuel Wade, deputy editor of the China Digital Times.

The website published two directives it obtained from the Chinese government earlier this week ordering websites in the country to only report official Chinese state media versions of the Meng story.

“The general approach is keeping a lid on the intensity of coverage while also controlling its direction,” Wade told StarMetro.

Wade said the directives have been “consistent” with others regarding recent U.S.-China tensions.

In Canada, media companies can write what they want, of course — but their stories can also be deleted from WeChat, which is subject to Chinese censorship rules, said Zhang Xiao Jun, editor of the Chinese-language Sing Tao Daily, which is owned by Torstar.

“They frequently block articles on our public account that are about Chinese government corruption or powerful people there,” said Zhang.