(ECNS) - China's popular social media app WeChat has issued a warning against using the app to tout medicines, calling it a violation of law that will be punished.
The security center at the social media app by tech giant Tencent has called on individual users not to publish, display or disseminate any sales information about drugs, medical equipment, illegal health products and aphrodisiacs.
WeChat users will break the rules if they share sales information in their updates or chat groups, according to the center. If users help friends forward such advertisements, they too are likely to face administrative penalties.
Chinese individuals are banned from selling drugs, especially prescription drugs. E-commerce sites also face restrictions on the sale of certain other drugs, according to insiders.
With numerous people using the app for small businesses, WeChat still allows users to share information about health products, but not those deemed to be illegal.