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After WeChat is blocked

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This post is translated from Chinese into English through AI.View Original
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On February 4, 2023, the author's WeChat account was permanently banned. They reflect on the experience and discuss the importance of exporting their data from WeChat. They explain that being blocked on WeChat also affects linked QQ accounts, but they can still access their QQ email and QQ Space. The author emphasizes the importance of not self-censoring and expresses their desire to showcase their content. They provide links to their exported data for others to view. The author recounts the events leading to the ban and mentions a confusing phone call from someone who sounded like a robot. They suspect the ban may be due to an automatic system. They also provide a tutorial on exporting moments and mention a tutorial on exporting QQ Space is being prepared.

2023.2.4. My WeChat account has been permanently banned.

Despite it being over half a year since the incident, I have thought about many related questions intermittently during this period and hesitated on whether it was meaningful to write something. However, today, on a day that feels like living in a novel by Marquez, I have decided to write down everything, including how I managed to export my WeChat Moments data and QQ Space data. I believe that recording itself is meaningful.

The World After Being Banned#

"After being banned, it's like being a cyber ghost. You can still see the messages others send, but you can no longer reply, and others don't know either." This description is like an urban legend, always heard of, and now I have experienced it myself.

Simply put, after being banned on WeChat, you can no longer send messages, grab red envelopes in WeChat groups, be added to new WeChat groups, or add new friends. You cannot scan QR codes for mini-programs... Well, most things are not possible, so let's talk about what you can do.

  1. You can use WeChat Pay.

    WeChat Pay and WeChat messaging are basically two separate systems, and being banned does not affect WeChat Pay. Others can transfer money to you through private messages, and you can also transfer money to your friends through private messages.

    • However, you cannot send red envelopes or leave messages when transferring money.

    You can scan other people's payment codes to pay, or let others scan your payment code to pay.

    • However, you must directly scan the payment code to make a payment. Some merchants implement payment through mini-programs, such as some vending machines that only support WeChat payment, which is not possible. Because fundamentally, this still requires scanning and recognizing the mini-program, but after being banned on WeChat, scanning mini-program QR codes cannot be recognized.

  2. You can use mini-programs in your chat history/message history.

    • Although you cannot scan and recognize mini-programs, you can still open mini-programs in your chat history. Or you can use mini-programs sent by others in chats (after all, receiving messages is still normal).
    • Whether a mini-program can be used normally depends on its functionality. If it requires login information to function properly, then it won't work because login information is abnormal after being banned.
      • For example, I cannot use mini-programs for ordering food at restaurants that require login, but I have been using a mini-program for paying parking fees. It does not require login, only inputting the license plate number and it redirects to WeChat Pay.

  3. You can still use WeChat Reading.

    • I did not log out of WeChat Reading, and I am not sure if I can log in again after logging out.

  4. Third-party platforms that use WeChat login can still be used.

    • I am not sure if there are any third-party platforms that only support WeChat login, but after being banned, I realized that most apps that support WeChat login also require phone number verification for login, so there is no need to worry about being unable to log in to third-party platforms.

In addition, the first thing I learned was that being banned on WeChat not only means being banned on WeChat, but also being banned on the entire Tencent ecosystem - all QQ accounts linked to the same phone number will also be permanently banned. Unlike WeChat, which can still be logged in, QQ cannot be logged in again. However, the good news is that QQ Mail can still be logged in, and although others cannot see QQ Space, I can still access my own QQ Space, so I can still export my data, fortunately.

What I Said, Why I Said It, and Why I Exported Data#

After being banned on WeChat, many friends were curious about what I said to get banned. I don't want to think about this question because I believe it is a form of self-censorship. If I have to think about what I can say and what I cannot say, it is self-censorship. What I said is just what I wanted to say, and it doesn't matter who hears it. Now I have exported all my Moments/QQ Space data and posted them on the blockchain. If anyone is interested, they can take a look.

(Note: Because Moments and QQ Space are more personal in nature, I have deleted some content that is closely related to my personal life or processed some privacy information to protect my privacy, as well as removed some URL tracking parameters.)

Yes, the first thing I thought of after being banned on WeChat was to export my Moments data. In fact, I spent a lot of time researching how to export the data.

Many people may wonder why I did this, whether what I wrote has such great value, and whether it was worth spending so much time on. These questions actually depend on our perspective of the world. I hope that the content of my Moments and QQ Space can be displayed again because they should exist. Whether this content is garbage or not is not important. Of course, these contents are indeed important to me, and I hope to have a backup. Moreover, honestly speaking, this matter is really interesting, right? "The word 'forbidden' is the most urgent invitation."

I admit that this is not a cost-effective thing to do, nor is it an efficient thing to do. Even writing this article itself is a waste of time. But what is important to a person is difficult to filter out based on certain standards. And I know that there are always people standing with me, even in the darkness. If I remain silent, I believe I am doing the wrong thing, and I cannot forgive myself for that. Although I wasted time doing these things, it is the people who silence others who are wrong. Freedom fighters may fail, but they are always right.

The Course of Events#

Finally, let me tell you the complete story of what happened.

Regarding WeChat: It is a WeChat account, not a WeChat account. I have only logged in on an iOS phone, and the iOS system has always been updated to the latest version, as well as the WeChat version.

Regarding Moments: As mentioned above, I had not posted any Moments for over two months before February 4th, and my settings were set to make Moments visible for one month.

Regarding chats: I only use WeChat to chat with others if it is absolutely necessary and if the other person only uses WeChat. I rarely participate in group chats because there are thousands of Telegram groups available for chatting, with no restrictions on the number of participants. Why would I use WeChat for that?

Regarding QQ: I also had not posted anything on QQ Space for over two months, and there are no hidden settings on QQ Space. I haven't used QQ to chat with anyone for several years.

However, there were still no signs. On a Saturday morning, I discovered that my WeChat account had been permanently banned. Later, I realized that it was not just WeChat, but also three QQ accounts linked to the same phone number that were all banned.

At that time, I submitted an appeal through WeChat, and unexpectedly, not only did someone respond, but the processing speed was very fast. The next day, I received a phone call for a follow-up. I asked why my account was banned, and the person's general response was, "The update notes for WeChat 8.0.32 clearly state everything. Think back to the content you posted, did it violate the terms?" I repeatedly asked which specific term and what content, but all I received were vague answers, repeatedly saying, "The notes clearly state everything, think back to it, it's easy to distinguish." I asked if it could be unblocked, and the answer was no.

Listening to the voice on the other end of the phone, which sounded like a robot, repeating the same things, I felt a bit dazed. I was a bit self-deprecating and confused, why? Since it was a permanent ban and impossible to be unblocked, why did they respond to me and why waste each other's time? I was changing equipment in a ski hall when I received the call, and my partner had already finished changing and was waiting for me. I didn't want to waste any more time, so I interrupted and said goodbye.

They would never explicitly say which specific statement I should not have made, only repeatedly saying that I should know. It reminded me of a Soviet joke, "Don't think I don't know."

I still feel suspicious about why I was banned on a Saturday morning without any warning. Although customer service mentioned the update to version 8.0.32, it was not the direct cause because my WeChat had automatically updated to that version in January. The most likely reason is probably some kind of automatic execution by a black box system.

Finally, I will share some screenshots of conversations with friends about being banned on WeChat. Nice to meet you all! 😊

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Exporting Moments and QQ Space#

I have written a separate tutorial on how to export Moments: https://atlas.xlog.app/how-to-export-moments-and-post-on-chain

The tutorial for exporting QQ Space is still being prepared.

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