WeChat releases announcement on external link management regulation adjustment: one-on-one chats can access external links

Not long ago, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that URL blocking was one of the key issues to be rectified, saying that restrictions without legitimate reasons seriously affected the user experience, harmed the user's rights and interests, and disrupted the market order.

In response to this, domestic Internet giants such as Tencent and Alibaba also publicly responded that they will actively cooperate with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's requirements for rectification.

On September 17, Tencent officially released a statement on the adjustment of WeChat External Link Content Management Specifications through Tencent Blackboard.

It points out that recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has put forward special guidance on the management of external links. WeChat will implement the interconnection with "security as the bottom line" and follow the following external link opening principles to ensure high-quality platform content and good user experience:

1. Prevent any violation of national laws and regulations;

2. Prevent excessive acquisition of user privacy and endangerment of network information security and data security;

3. Prevent excessive marketing, inducing sharing and other behaviors that harm the interests of users;

4. Adhere to the user-oriented principle and give users more choices.

Based on the above principles, under the guidance of the regulatory authorities, the external link management measures will be implemented in stages and steps. The first stage will be implemented from September 17, including:

1. On the premise of ensuring information security, users can access external links in one-on-one chat scenarios after upgrading to the latest version of WeChat.

2. Provide users with the right to make independent choices. Since group links involve a large number of recipient users, we will continue to develop functions to facilitate users to make independent and personalized choices.

3. Set up an external link complaint portal, where users can report illegal external links. The platform will handle them according to the corresponding rules and establish a credit rating for the management effectiveness of the external link platform.

We will promote the interconnection plan in stages and steps in accordance with relevant legal requirements and with safety as the bottom line after approval by regulatory authorities. At the same time, WeChat will actively cooperate with other Internet platforms to jointly implement this guidance, explore the technical possibilities of smoothly using WeChat services on other platforms, and achieve further interconnection.