Seven blockchain and crypto-related accounts on China’s Weibo messaging app, including that of Tron founder Justin Sun, appear to have been blocked.
- Chinese website 8BTC reported the news Thursday, noting seven verified accounts had been deactivated on the Twitter-like platform. The list included influencers such as Sun and news source BeatleNews.
- CoinDesk has confirmed that the seven accounts have been deactivated. A message saying they violated platform rules greets visitors. Censors don't normally announce which accounts have been banned.
- In China, what started as a crackdown on crypto mining in May has extended into trading and media.
- CoinWorld, a Chinese news website and app, announced its closure on July 15, saying it was following guidance from the People's Bank of China.
- Regulators and state media have condemned what they called speculation in crypto markets.
- On June 5, a dozen crypto influencers' Weibo accounts were blocked, following a March ban on crypto exchanges.
- Sun's account was banned from Weibo back in 2019, along with Binance co-founder Yi He.
- The Tron founder has fostered his relationship with authorities by joining a research project at the Communist Party's top university.
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