Messaging app WeChat faced scrutiny for apparently banning political discussions amongst US-based Chinese Americans, prompting accusations of censorship and triggering a geopolitical row.

In November 2019, the platform banned accounts of US-based Chinese Americans who had criticised the Chinese government, citing interoperability issues with its Chinese counterpart, Weixin. 

The ban effectively subjected WeChat users abroad to Chinese censorship if they wished to maintain contact with friends and family in China.

Many Chinese Americans expressed frustration with WeChat's opaque censorship and surveillance practices. Users reported being suspended or banned for sharing politically sensitive content, such as election results from Hong Kong. This led some to seek alternative messaging platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp.

The app's censorship extended beyond users registered with Chinese phone numbers; even non-China-registered accounts were subjected to surveillance and content moderation. 

The action resulted in questions about Weixin/WeChat owner Tencent's independence from Beijing and its role in censoring extraterritorial content.