Well, the PRC's dossier on me must be at least 6 cms thick as I've been on WeChat for almost a decade. I have a single account as it's just not worth it, TO ME, to be that concerned with mixing friends and pros, though I wish there was an easy way to group contacts. Then again, I don't have any delusions of grandeur either. Pre-Covid, I traveled extensively in the PRC and really found the app essential to keep in touch with PRC friends, both while traveling and when back home. The video chat function is a real convenience in keeping in touch. Not being really fluent in Mandarin (10-12 words), the included translation function is a God-send for BOTH sides. WeChat does not have access to my contacts, but it does have a picture of ME for my profile (not too concerned about geo meta data in the photo as it was taken in China and I'm sure any TRUE PRC official will instantly recognize the location). When in the PRC, I get a local SIM card which is registered in MY name and MY passport. When you enter the country, immigration takes your photo, and with all their surveillance, I'm sure I'm EASILY tracked, since I really DON'T blend in, and PRC tracking is QED.

I AM aware and careful of what's in my chats, no politics, Uighur, Falun Gong, Tibet, or Winnie-the-Pooh references, both for myself and who I'm chatting with.

I just feel I'm doing my small patriotic part in adding to their burden of culling through masses of data. I'm not the needle, I'm that bit of clutter.

And let's be realistic, if a government, any government wants to get you, they will, though in the west you MIGHT beat it in court.

Full disclosure: I also have and use Line as well as Tik-Tok.

• How much of your own information do you have to give to the platform?
It's been SO long, I've forgotten, but not much. Name, e-mail address, mobile number (but that original number has long since been discarded).

• How much can shops see your personal information? (Name, number, any ID docs, etc.)
What I can see, they see my name and photo. I might be wrong, but I don't think they see my mobile number, though they might see my WeChat ID (self supplied, one time only). I don't post to Moments so have none that can be seen. There is a privacy setting of "Chats Only".

• Can you hide/delete certain elements in the apps from prying partners or relatives?
Unlike Line, there doesn't seem to be a method to hide contacts and chats (though the Line "hiding" would be relatively easy for someone who had access to your mobile and knew what they were doing to restore).