I think WeChat is not actually a bridge between China and the world, it is a prison that traps the minds of overseas Chinese people as if they have never left China. It sucks everyone related to China into a black hole of censorship and surveillance. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/business/trump-china-wechat-tiktok.html

For many overseas Chinese, the popularity and multifunctionality of WeChat has made apps popular outside of China unnecessary. That means the Chinese government is able to control a significant portion of the information overseas Chinese receive, even outside its borders.

This could have real domestic political implications, as many members of the Chinese diaspora are voters of the countries they reside in and are, or can be, politically mobilized.

Maybe this is a bit personal: WeChat is blurring the line between "Chinese in China" and "the Chinese diaspora," making many overseas Chinese people -- who mostly live in free countries -- think and act like the people who live under the rule of the Communist Party. This is sad.

I'm not necessarily advocating that WeChat should be banned, because it does have free speech implications for the US where the First Amendment is a fundamental value. But my take on this issue stems from my ultimate wish: a China where my people live freely.

I hear that cutting off WeChat creates inconvenience, but you can still talk to your mom in China via phone, email, etc. Think about the millions of Tibetans, Uyghurs, Chinese dissidents suffering under the juggernaut of repression of which WeChat is an integral part.

WeChat needs to be viewed as a key component of the Chinese government's infrastructure of control, not just as an app that connects people and offers conveniences but is subjected to censorship and surveillance.