The Chinese government started a month-long campaign to eliminate "malpractice" on instant messaging services such as WeChat, the state news agency Xinhua said. It will target public accounts that distribute "illegal and harmful information, seriously undermining public interests and order in cyberspace", said a statement from the State Internet Information Office. WeChat has more than 800 million users. The campaign will crack down on those spreading rumors and information relating to violence, terrorism and pornography, as well as those using instant messaging for fraud. The SIIO, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Ministry of Public Security are in charge of the campaign, which will hold service providers responsible if they do not cooperate. Seven instant messaging companies, including WeChat, Momo, Mi Talk and Yixin, have agreed to cooperate with the authorities and launch internal inspection, said a statement issued after a meeting of the three government departments and service providers.
