FreeWeChat, a platform that archives censored and deleted posts from Tencent’s popular messaging and payments app WeChat, faced a legal challenge this month from the app’s parent company, which demanded, citing copyright infringement and unfair competition, that the site be shut down. Receiving a complaint from Tencent, the host provider complied with the request, despite the fact, FreeWeChat said, that it had “responded in detail, refuting each allegation on both factual and legal grounds.”
FreeWeChat is operated by GreatFire, an organization that monitors freedom of expression in China. In a July 10 statement, GreatFire denied the allegations and characterized Tencent’s legal action as “lawfare” designed to silence the archival platform. The company said it would attempt to host the website elsewhere to continue its operations. FreeWeChat has served as a repository for WeChat content that has been removed by Chinese censors, providing researchers and activists with access to deleted posts and conversations.
