Image courtesy: Gadgets 360
Tencent Holdings’ WeChat messaging service will begin enabling users to access external links on Friday, only days after Chinese authorities ordered the firm and its rivals to stop blocking one other’s links.
Historically, China’s technology behemoths have prohibited rivals’ connections and services from being shared on their platforms. However, authorities said on Monday that they were requiring businesses to correct this since the practise harmed users’ experiences and harmed consumers.
The action is part of a larger China tech crackdown that has slashed the market value of some of the country’s top businesses by billions of dollars. WeChat said on Friday that the changes will be implemented in stages, beginning with enabling users to view links in private, one-on-one chats after upgrading to the newest version of the programme, but that it would continue to adhere to principles such as prohibiting excessive promotion. The proposal will be carried out in accordance with legal requirements and with the permission of regulatory authorities, according to the statement.
“At the same time, WeChat will aggressively collaborate with other internet platforms to execute this guideline and investigate the technological possibilities of deploying WeChat services on other platforms in order to achieve wider interconnectivity.”
