China unveils digital ID card linked to Tencent’s WeChat

ft.com

23 points·LrnByTeach··6 comments

Here is the tweet that sums itup (a credible source: VC firm A16z partner) https://twitter.com/conniechan/status/958765216338132992

Tencent Credit has been rolled out nationwide in China:

a score of 300-850 points based on historical data from WeChat and QQ. A good score gives users access to credit, installment payment shopping, and deposit free rentals of bikes and apartments.

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Anonymity on WeChat is already virtually nonexistent. China has phased in a real-name registration requirement for mobile phone numbers since 2013, and all WeChat accounts must be linked to a mobile phone number.

Is google voice not a thing in China?

Google isn't really a thing in China.

Translate works very well. The other services are nil which is a real bummer trying to build a lean startup.

Most google services are either blocked or run very restricted local versions.

I travel to China frequently. You don’t think too much about how often you use various Google services until you land in a place where they just don’t work. For me, it’s like the internet is completely broken. For the locals, no big deal because they haven’t had the ability to become reliant on Google. Instead they are hooked on services such as WeChat which is much, much more than chat.

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