In September 2026, a Chinese University of Hong Kong class required students to use WeChat for attendance — scanning a QR code while enabling location services to prove they were inside the classroom. Students raised privacy concerns. The university clarified it was an independent action by a part-time tutor and directed staff back to official systems (uReply Attendance and RAS).
The case highlights two principles that matter far beyond one classroom.
Privacy must come first.
WeChat is not a mainstream app in Hong Kong. Many students primarily use WhatsApp, Signal or other tools. Forcing installation and location tracking imposes an unnecessary third-party platform and creates risks of cross-border data processing. Teachers should start from trust. When doubts arise about specific students, investigate those cases — do not place an entire class under surveillance. Attendance systems exist to support learning, not to normalise monitoring.
Open source strengthens both trust and security.
Closed systems leave users with no practical way to verify what data is collected, where it goes, or whether extra tracking occurs. Open-source attendance tools make the source code public. Anyone can audit the logic, data flows and potential vulnerabilities. Independent reviews become possible, hidden behaviours are harder to conceal, and the community can identify and fix problems early. This transparency directly builds the trust that closed systems struggle to earn. Universities should therefore consider partially open-sourcing existing tools or collaborating with the open-source community to develop lightweight, privacy-respecting solutions that comply with local requirements such as Hong Kong’s Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. Official systems such as uReply should also publish clear, complete data-privacy terms covering scope of collection, purpose, retention, access and deletion.
The incident is a reminder that administrative convenience must not override fundamental rights. Prioritising privacy and adopting open approaches are practical ways to restore balance between efficiency and respect for individuals.
Sammy has discussed these points in more detail on his personal blog:
https://sammy.hk/en/2026-cuhk-class-requires-wechat-checkin-for-attendance/
Sammy Fung is the Founder of Open Platform Society (OPSoc). OPSoc advocates open technologies — including Open AI, Open Data, Open Source, Open Content, Open Governance and Open Hardware — with the vision of empowering people with the rights and freedoms to control technology rather than be constrained by it. Its mission is to promote technological freedom, build open collaborative platforms, contribute to civil society and technology discussions, and help define standards and processes for open technology.
