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Chinese apps you should remove from your phone
Security is something you should never take for granted. You may be exposing yourself to hackers and scammers without even realizing it. Here are 10 things you do daily that put you in danger.
You’ve heard it many times from us: Get rid of TikTok and Temu. Now we’re adding even more to the list.
Why does it matter?
Some of these apps, like Pinduoduo, contain malware. Temu, owned by the same Chinese company as Pinduoduo, sells low-quality junk.
If CamScanner is on your phone, get rid of it. It was on a list of apps banned in 2021 over concerns that the Chinese government was using them to spy on American citizens.
A Chinese billionaire founded Shein and is also known for shoddy merchandise and poor service. Oh, and there have been numerous articles citing the company’s use of slave labor.
Turbo VPN has been downloaded over 100 million times and has had multiple Chinese nationals as directors.
WeChat and UC Browser are owned by two of the most valuable companies in the world: Tencent and Alibaba. And here’s something you need to know: The Chinese government owns shares in both of these companies.
TikTok, Lemon8 and CapCut are all owned by ByteDance, which is based in Beijing and is required by Chinese law to give the government access to collected data.
RELATED: Protect your privacy: How to stop apps and people from tracking your every move
Delete these apps now
Here’s a (certainly not exhaustive) list of apps with ties to the Chinese government, along with their parent companies:
- TikTok — Bytedance
- Lemon8 — Bytedance
- CapCut — Bytedance
- Pinduoduo — PDD Holdings
- Temu — PDD Holdings
- CamScanner — Intsig Information
- Shein — Roadget Business
- TurboVPN — Innovative Connecting
- WeChat — Tencent
- UC Browser — Alibaba Group
- SHAREit — SHAREit Technologies
Most of their developers say the government doesn’t have access to the data, but there’s nothing to keep them from lying.
Play it safe: Avoid these apps altogether. It’s never too late to get rid of them. And while you’re at it, pass this information along to your friends and family.
Keep reading
Secret treasures: Hidden apps on your smartphone and how to find them
Stop giving your phone’s address book to apps
Tags: apps, browser, ByteDance, CamScanner, Chinese government, family, hackers, malware, Pinduoduo, privacy, scammers, security, Shein, Temu, Turbo, WeChat
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