WeChat Starts A Crackdown on Illegal Personal Accounts
Recently, many people said that their WeChat accounts were blocked or banned and hoped to find a way to unblock them. Getting WeChat account temporarily blocked may not ruin your life, but could be very frustrating. What happened?
Photo: 新闻日日睇
"Such a good luck for just being temporarily blocked for 2 days!"
Photo: 新闻日日睇
"I just realized that WeChat is all of my life when it is blocked"
In online platforms such as Tmall, Taobao or JD, opening a shop could cost up to 100,000 RMB. Shopkeepers are required to provide enough licenses to pass the verification before they can sell products, and constant operating fees coming after.
Compared to these well-known platforms, the threshold of starting up a business on WeChat is low, and everyone can do it.
Some people see the value and benefits of doing business through WeChat, but running a WeChat business may cause problems if sellers walk over the line.
WeChat, quietly letting millions of accounts develop AI-powered bots of their own, had been turning a blind eye. The recent crackdown is to shut down the accounts that had been relying on these unofficial apps.
Unsanctioned bots run amok on the social network, often tactlessly spamming groups or artificially inflating a brand’s likes and follows. The Chinese tech firm clamped down on thousands of accounts, denouncing the abuse of external software for WeChat.
Unlike the WeChat official accounts, which are designed for commerce and media, these rogue bots hijack personal accounts. They can be purchased on Taobao, the country’s most popular online marketplace, for a couple of dollars or less. Some accounts are even “farmed” before they’re sold, which means they already have friends and have logged a certain amount of human-like activity, such as posting on Moments, WeChat’s newsfeed-like feature.
According to Li Jiarui, who is familiar with this industry, if one grows a WeChat account to 3,000 to 5,000 friends, one advertisement on the Moments could worth between US$14 to US$140. It depends on the quality of the account.
More bots mean more WeChat accounts. This is an example of WeChat hacking: multiple apps installed on one device. Photo: Tencent.
Account farming is driven by the needs of marketing and advertising agencies, or weishang, the "micro entrepreneur" running through personal WeChat accounts. Unlike official accounts, personal accounts are easier to register and can participate in group chats. These shopkeepers often use their Moments to advertise all kinds of products, from imported baby powder to luxury handbags.
There are always some rules and regulations that go along with participating in WeChat. Once you violate these it could result in getting your account blocked or removed.
Sell either real or imitation lethal weapon.
Sell items used for gambling, nor should you organize gambling sessions or teach people how to gamble within the app.
Link to scam websites or spread viruses, you’ll get in trouble. Any attempts to post content regarding organized crime.
Sell fake goods, false advertising, selling the counterfeit item is strictly banned in the app. The WeChat rules specifically cite fake cigarettes, money and ID as examples of prohibited items.
Create fake accounts of celebrities, publish other people’s articles without their permission and revealing the private information of other users.
Post pornographic photos, erotic writing or “suggestive” content is not allowed as well as posting videos or images of people or animals being tortured or killed.
The recent blocked accounts are mostly involved in violating the fourth rule. Also, the following reasons contribute to their accounts being blocked:
1. Download WeChat application from unofficial channels. Make sure to download the app only from the official app stores. Some users download unofficial WeChat apps, like the bots we mentioned above, which allows them to run a few accounts on a mobile. However, WeChat blocked all these accounts to respond with this behavior.
Photo: 新闻日日睇. This account logs in from the unofficial channel, it will be permanently blocked if still login in such way. Click "confirm" to unblock.
2. If you have posted contents containing porn, violence, scams, inappropriate rumors, or annoying advertisements.
3. You’ve been reported by other users multiple times.
Everyone has the right to report those accounts which involve in breaking the WeChat rules. WeChat wants to build a good networking environment and keep the cyberspace safe.
Can you unlock the blocked account?
The official said "Yes". Theoretically, WeChat lockout is not permanent, which means your blocked WeChat account can still be recovered. Follow these instructions below to unlock your WeChat Account.↓↓↓
1. Download and install WeChat App from the official sites.
2. Run WeChat app on your device.
3. Tap on “WeChat Forgot Password” link on the app screen.
4. Tap on the “WeChat Security Center” button.
5. Again, tap on the “Unblock Account or Features”.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions, you may retrieve your password via: SMS code, E-mail, QQ ID and password.
7. If you still can’t retrieve your password, tap ‘Request password retrieval’ on the bottom of the page and follow the instructions.
8. If Login fails, try clearing your cache by turning off your device. After 5-10 minutes, turn your device back on and try logging in to WeChat again. Using this method can also help you to recover WeChat password or retrieve WeChat password and reset WeChat Account as well.
However, some netizens tried but still failed. It showed a failure in the verification, the mobile phone number does not belong to the same region as the WeChat account. ↓ ↓ ↓
Photo: 新闻日日睇
"Holy crap, my WeChat account is blocked. Should I find an Icelandic phone to unblock?"
WeChat account seems so valuable now, it has your personal information, a bunch of contacts and links to bank cards. Obeying the rules and running it properly is the best way to keep your WeChat safe.
Source: HiTouch, techinasia, wechat-data-recovery
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