Censors were at WeChat offices before crackdown on accounts
Censors were stationed for a week at the offices of Tencent's popular social media service WeChat before dozens of prominent accounts were closed or suspended, a source has said.
Censors were stationed for a week at the offices of Tencent's popular social media service WeChat before dozens of prominent accounts were closed or suspended, a source has said.
The move, on the closing day of the National People's Congress, marked an intensification of the internet crackdown under President Xi Jinping's leadership, observers said.
Internet users noticed on Thursday evening that at least 35 WeChat public accounts, many known for carrying commentaries on current affairs, were no longer available due to what a system message said was "violation of regulations".
Which law did I violate? Who reported me? Why can't I appeal?
A source told the South China Morning Post that a team of internet censors had been sent to WeChat's Guangzhou office, where they remained for about a week before the crackdown.
The Beijing-based industry insider, who asked not to be named, said the censors asked WeChat to conduct self-censorship in relation to popular public accounts that provided sensitive content on national politics, while they also named some accounts to be shut down.
"It might be related to some sensitive articles published by Tencent recently," the source said. "It feels like a punishment of Tencent, and we expect the censorship on WeChat will be stricter."
Zhang Lifan, a Beijing-based political affairs analyst, said: "Of course the shutdown is ordered from above.Tencent is a victim too."
