China crypto crackdown: Weibo banishes 80 prominent cryptocurrency influencers
- Weibo says the moves were made in accordance with local regulations that restrict speculation, trading and promotion of virtual assets
- The Beijing-based firm says it will continue to monitor user complaints and initiate investigations on speculative cryptocurrency trading
The accounts of 80 popular cryptocurrency influencers, each with more than 8 million followers, have been removed from one of China’s most popular social media apps, as Beijing maintains its tight grip over crypto activities.
The Weibo accounts, which promoted cryptocurrencies, had breached eight regulations in China covering areas such as marketing, internet safety, telecommunications, trade and finance, Weibo Finance said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Beijing-based firm said it would continue to “receive complaints from users” and initiate investigations on “illegal virtual currency trading information” in accordance with local laws.
The account suspensions follow a major nationwide crackdown on crypto speculation in August 2022, when the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) ordered the removal of 12,000 crypto-related accounts on websites including Weibo and search engine Baidu, and 51,000 social media posts promoting virtual assets.
At the time, the CAC said it would continue to strengthen its crackdown on illegal securities activities that exist on those platforms and strictly uphold related rules.
The latest closure of crypto-related Weibo accounts is part of a wider cleansing of online information by the company, which said it dealt with more than 140,000 accounts involved in spreading false or harmful information.