Tencent Holdings Ltd. — Ethics Grade D

Tencent Holdings Ltd. receives an overall ethics grade of D (38/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Social Media. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 50
• privacy: 10
• consumer: 40
• environment: 65
• humanRights: 15

Documented incidents (3)

• State-Mandated Surveillance (high, 2020) — Research found that WeChat monitors and censors content non-Chinese users send to build image-recognition and keyword-blocking algorithms used to surveil citizens within mainland China.
• Exploitative Monetization in Gaming (medium, 2021) — Tencent has faced significant regulatory crackdown for implementing 'predatory' loot boxes and features designed to foster gaming addiction in minors, leading to strict playtime limits imposed by the Chinese government.
• Unfair Market Dominance (medium, 2021) — The Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation fined Tencent for multiple anti-competitive behaviors and blocked its proposed $5.3B merger of game streaming giants Huya and DouYu to preserve competition.

Documented good deeds

• Commitment to Carbon Neutrality — Pledged to achieve carbon neutrality in its own operations and supply chain by 2030, shifting 100% of its data centers to renewable energy.

Ethical alternatives

• Signal Messenger — Non-profit, open-source application with end-to-end encryption and zero tracking.