Editing Internet censorship in China (section)

====WeChat====
[[WeChat]] is the dominant [[social media]] and [[instant messaging|messaging]] app in China, and is also the most popular messaging application for most [[Chinese people|Chinese]] nationals staying overseas. Though subject to state rules which saw individual posts removed,<ref name="RoneyWechat"/><ref name="MckirdyWechat"/> [[Tech in Asia]] reported in 2013 that certain "restricted words" had been blocked on WeChat globally.<ref name="MillwardWechat">{{cite news|title=Now China's WeChat App is Censoring Its Users Globally|date=10 January 2013|first=Steven|last=Millward|url=https://www.techinasia.com/china-wechat-censoring-users-globally|work=[[Tech in Asia]]|access-date=5 September 2020|archive-date=15 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215015651/https://www.techinasia.com/china-wechat-censoring-users-globally|url-status=live}}</ref> A crackdown in March&nbsp;2014 deleted dozens of WeChat accounts, some of which were independent news channels with hundreds of thousands of followers.<ref name="RoneyWechat">{{cite news|title=China's sudden WeChat Crackdown|date=14 March 2014|first=Tyler|last=Roney|url=https://thediplomat.com/2014/03/chinas-sudden-wechat-crackdown/|work=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]]|publisher=Trans-Asia Inc|access-date=5 September 2020|archive-date=6 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006050231/https://thediplomat.com/2014/03/chinas-sudden-wechat-crackdown/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MckirdyWechat"/> [[CNN]] reported that the blocks were related to laws banning the spread of political "rumors".<ref name="MckirdyWechat">{{cite news|title=WeChat's conversations gagged: Are China's censors behind it?|date=17 March 2014|first=Euan|last=McKirdy|url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/03/17/world/asia/wechat-censorship/index.html|website=[[CNN]]|publisher=Warner Media|access-date=5 September 2020|archive-date=1 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001052524/https://www.cnn.com/2014/03/17/world/asia/wechat-censorship/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The state-run [[Xinhua News Agency]] reported in July&nbsp;2020 that the CAC would conduct an intensive three-month investigation and cleanup of 13 media platforms, including WeChat.<ref>{{cite news |last=Yu |first=Junjie |date=29 July 2020 |title=To safeguard national security, it is time for China to build up nuclear deterrent |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2020-07/29/c_1126301557.htm |work=[[Xinhua News]] |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802125828/http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2020-07/29/c_1126301557.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>