Allegations about Alipay emerge just as Apple Pay launches in China

Is the Android version of Alipay safe? That’s what many users are wondering after allegations about the app’s back-end activities have emerged.

It began with Twitter user @typcn_com posting allegations that the Android version of Alipay violates user privacy and security in a number of ways, like accessing the camera and microphone to record and upload things to Alibaba’s servers every few seconds. What the user posted falls short of smoking-gun proof (for example, he demonstrates that Alipay accesses the camera but not that it does so every few seconds or uploads anything secretly). But the same user previously uncovered a security flaw in China’s 12306 train ticket site and has appeared on CCTV, so people take what he has to say seriously.

Alipay has already responded to the allegations in a lengthy Weibo post that explains (for example) that the use of the camera and microphone are required for Alipay features like QR code scanning and voice message sending. It calls the claims that the app takes a photo every few seconds and uploads them to an Alibaba server “pure, unsubstantiated rumor.”

Typcn_com has already tweeted a response in which he dismisses Alipay’s refutations and doesn’t take back his claims.

Like so many disputes on China’s internet, it comes down to a he-said, she-said.

A blow-by-blow assessment of all of the allegations leveled against Alipay is difficult, because Typcn_com didn’t provide enough evidence, and is now claiming that Alipay has shut down the server it was uploading photos and audio recordings to. So, like so many disputes on China’s internet, it comes down to a he-said, she-said, and ultimately Alipay fans are likely to believe the company while detractors will choose to believe its critic.

It bears mentioning, though, that the timing of these allegations is extremely – perhaps even suspiciously – convenient for Apple. After all, it just launched its Apple Pay service in China, but it finds itself way behind Alipay in that market. A negative story about Alipay that applies only to non-Apple devices is just about the best thing Apple could have hitting the internet right now.

Whether that’s a happy coincidence for Apple or an indication that the American giant might be dabbling in black PR is up to you. I certainly don’t have any evidence of any foul play, and it seems unlikely that Apple would take such a stupid risk. But in a story this convenient, it’s worth pointing out that this sort of thing does happen in China’s tech industry from time to time.