China's ban on cryptocurrency mining – and general dislike of any form of blockchain-based assets – has seen web giant Tencent clamp down on discu

Tencent's WeChat wants no more talk of cryptocurrency and NFTs

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2022-06-22 06:00:06

China's ban on cryptocurrency mining – and general dislike of any form of blockchain-based assets – has seen web giant Tencent clamp down on discussion of the subjects on its massive WeChat and Weixin messaging platforms.

News of Tencent's policy can be found in recent amendments to its terms of service which last week added a section about cryptocurrency and NFTs.

The added verbiage states that accounts engaged in discussion of crypto trading, exchange between bit-bucks and real money, or provision of pricing services for digital currencies, all need to stop it.

Account holders whose chats veer into the topics described above will be warned, and Tencent may restrict some functions of their accounts.

Tencent has not explained why it changed its legalese, but it's almost certainly a response to Beijing's ongoing crackdown on crypto, and a parallel program that requires China's web giants to clean up their acts. It wants the Middle Kingdom's networks to provide only wholesome content that promotes proper Chinese values – even in users' comments, which will soon be inspected and approved before publication.

It has also enthusiastically created its own central bank digital currency, a form of digital cash, and is promoting it vigorously – including as a means of payment on WeChat.

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