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Prosecutors in Beijing are suing Chinese tech big Tencent, claiming the “youth mode” on its WeChat app is in opposition to legal guidelines defending minors, Reuters reported. When WeChat is utilized in youth mode, it restricts youthful customers’ entry to features like cellular funds, in addition to sure video games.
The swimsuit doesn’t specify how the app’s youth mode violates the regulation, based on Reuters, however the motion comes just a few days after a state-owned Chinese newspaper referred to on-line video games as “opium for the mind.” That article was later up to date and toned down considerably, the Wall Street Journal reported, however not earlier than Tencent’s shares fell by greater than 10 p.c.
Tencent didn’t instantly remark concerning the lawsuit, but it surely mentioned final week it will place restrictions on its Honor of Kings sport —which the Chinese information article particularly referenced—for gamers underneath 18, limiting how lengthy they will play the sport day by day.
The lawsuit is probably going half of a bigger crackdown by China on its largest tech firms in current months; in April, it levied a $2.8 billion (18.23 billion yuan) nice in opposition to Chinese e-commerce site Alibaba as a result of it claimed the corporate stifled competitors. In July, the Cyberspace Administration of China ordered app stores to remove ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing’s app, claiming the corporate was amassing customers’ private knowledge.
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