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United Nations reportedly tears up Tencent’s invite to its big 75th birthday bash

(2020/04/16)


The United Nations has reportedly dissolved a deal that would have seen its 75th birthday celebrations conducted using video chat tech from Chinese web giant Tencent.

News of the alliance emerged on March 31st, when the two [1]announced that Tencent’s VooV video chat service, WeChat Work service and AI-powered translation tools would all be used to facilitate meetings during the United Nations’ [2]75th birthday celebrations .

Excited to partner with [3]@UN [4]@JoinUN75 to drive conversations across the globe about the future. Our online platforms and tools, VooV Meeting and WeChat Work, enable seamless communications to take place online. [5]#UN75 [6]#WeUnited

Make your voice heard on [7]https://t.co/QELip3vgVP [8]pic.twitter.com/b6TAprUJDy — Tencent 腾讯 (@TencentGlobal) [9]March 31, 2020

This was something of a coup for Tencent because VooV was only launched to the world in late March 2020, yet the UN was willing to use it as it rushed to move celebrations online. The deal therefore re-enforced Tencent's messaging that the tool demonstrates its generosity, capability and ingenuity.

But the deal quickly raised concerns because content on WeChat has been known to mysteriously disappear if it is not the sort of thing China’s government admires or approves. Which is not the sort of crimp on free speech and human expression that the UN is supposed to in any way endorse.

Now Foreign Policy magazine has [10]reported that the partnership has been unwound.

Louis Charbonneau, Human Rights Watch’s director at the UN, gave that report credence by [11]labelling it a “fine scoop”.

The Register has asked the UN and Tencent to confirm the report. ®

Sponsored: [12]How to Build Your Digital Experience Portfolio



[1] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tencent-and-united-nations-announce-global-partnership-to-hold-thousands-of-conversations-online-through-platforms-including-voov-meeting-for-the-uns-75th-anniversary-301033166.html

[2] http://www.un75.online/

[3] https://twitter.com/UN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[4] https://twitter.com/JoinUN75?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[5] https://twitter.com/hashtag/UN75?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[6] https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeUnited?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[7] https://t.co/QELip3vgVP

[8] https://t.co/b6TAprUJDy

[9] https://twitter.com/TencentGlobal/status/1244814309730865152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[10] https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/04/15/united-nations-backs-down-china-coronavirus-censorship-tencent-seventy-five-anniversary-international-organization/

[11] https://twitter.com/loucharbon/status/1250500981466546176

[12] https://go.theregister.co.uk/tl/1936/-8578/how-to-build-your-digital-experience-portfolio?td=wptl1936

A truly good man is not aware of his goodness,
And is therefore good.
A foolish man tries to be good,
And is therefore not good.

A truly good man does nothing,
Yet leaves nothing undone.
A foolish man is always doing,
Yet much remains to be done.

When a truly kind man does something, he leaves nothing undone.
When a just man does something, he leaves a great deal to be done.
When a disciplinarian does something and no one responds,
He rolls up his sleeves in an attempt to enforce order.

Therefore when Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is kindness.
When kindness is lost, there is justice.
When justice is lost, there ritual.
Now ritual is the husk of faith and loyalty, the beginning of confusion.
Knowledge of the future is only a flowery trapping of Tao.
It is the beginning of folly.

Therefore the truly great man dwells on what is real and not what is on the surface,
On the fruit and not the flower.
Therefore accept the one and reject the other.