Tencent Bans 1,463 WeChat Accounts as China Cleanses Content

Tencent Holdings Ltd. imposed a rare ban on more than 1,000 WeChat accounts after China kicked off a two-month crackdown on commercial platforms and social media accounts posting financial information that’s deemed harmful to its economy.

A total of 1,463 WeChat accounts, including the one run by Essence Securities Co.’s chief strategist Chen Guo, were banned due to unspecified financial media irregularities, Tencent said in a statement on its website on Thursday. Some accounts were shut permanently while others faced a seven-day restriction.

The tech behemoth, which has a billion-plus WeChat members, said it is actively responding to the cybersecurity ...