Tencent's WeChat to be particular focus of month-long campaign

China launched a one-month campaign Tuesday targeting public information platforms in mobile instant messaging services, including popular smartphone app WeChat.

The campaign, run jointly by the State Internet Information Office, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, will target "illegal acts" on public accounts including publishing content that contains rumors, violence, fraud and pornography. The campaign will also severely crack down on "activities of infiltration from foreign powers."

Among multiple services, the authorities specifically named WeChat, one of the most popular instant messaging apps in China developed by Internet giant Tencent, which has over 800 million users and has, according to the campaign statement, "greatly contributed to economic and social development."

WeChat transformed from a private messaging app to a multi-functional social media platform after it introduced public accounts in August 2012.

The function started from inviting celebrities and public institutions to set up public accounts and the number rapidly increased to the thousands, with many run by ordinary people and aimed at sharing information on a particular subject, referred to as "self-media."

However, authorities pointed out that some people have disseminated "harmful and illegal" information using public accounts and have "disrupted order" in society.

The campaign will also pursue attributing responsibility to enterprises that fail to manage the services and is urging the public to report illegal acts.

The campaign comes after Tencent shut down 200 public accounts, which combined have over 9 million followers, in April for "breaching the rules of the developer," mainly for posting advertisements.

This triggered a protest by the 102 users that run the 200 accounts, who then posted an open letter of complaint on rival social media app Sina Weibo, accusing Tencent of disrespect as they were not informed beforehand and had no chance to appeal.

Tencent later announced that the accounts would be suspended for a week instead of being permanently shut down.

WeChat became an alternative platform for information circulation after activity on Weibo started to drop following a crackdown on online rumors which started in September 2013.

It earned public favor due to its better privacy, especially for accounts which post information with critical opinions.

A source from Tencent told the Global Times on condition of anonymity previously that every day some WeChat accounts are closed for either "malicious marketing" or for spreading "sensitive political topics."

A culture account operator surnamed Meng said that the campaign would not influence "light" accounts like hers, which focuses on films and books.