WeChat, the most popular Chinese messenger, blocked a number of accounts related to cryptocurrencies. As a local newspaper Lanjinger writes, they do not meet the requirements that came into force on August 7.
According to the publication, accounts belonging to Jinse and Deepchain portals were the first ones to be blocked. WeChat shows a text about reasons for blocking instead of articles.
The administration of the service explains that it has examined the account after receiving user complaints. The information it has found apparently violates the temporary requirements, which came into force in China on August 7. The messenger has a right to block accounts and file complaints about them to regulators in case of violation of the law, the rules say.
WeChat representatives note that blocked accounts are suspected of publishing ICO data and creating hype around cryptocurrencies. In addition to Jinse and Deepchain, Huobi News and CoinDaily were subject to restrictions. In May, WeChat blocked Xiao Xieyi blockchain application, which allowed users to create agreements and unique identifiers.
WeChat belongs to the company Tencent (HKEX: 0700). In early August, it was reported on their participation in an investment deal with Bitmain. Later the company denied this information.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
- Many foreign portals are blocked in China. Strict censorship has been introduced by the government. WeChat is a local analogue of world's popular instant messengers allowed in the country. Its audience is about 1 billion users. After blocking of accounts, crypto media can lose a large part of its audience.