Not long ago, a ride-hailing app was removed from app stores while China enacts stringent laws that would reportedly allow the government to access huge troves of data collected by tech companies. "We are currently upgrading our security technology to align with all relevant laws and regulations. During this time, registration of new Weixin personal and official accounts has been temporarily suspended," Tencent said in a statement to Reuters on Tuesday. It is not clear which laws and regulations Tencent is referring to. Weixin is the Chinese name for WeChat. The registration services are expected to be restored in early August, the Reuters report added. Why this matters? China has been cracking down on large tech companies and WeChat's registration suspension is the latest effect of that. This is the first time in over a decade that the popular super app has resorted to such a measure. Ride-hailing app Didi removed from app stores Earlier this month, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) ordered app stores to remove ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing, the most popular ride-hailing app in China, citing serious violations on the collection and usage of personal data. The decision came two days after the regulator started a cybersecurity review of the company and froze it from adding new users. Didi was asked to make changes and comply with China’s data protection rules. A few days before this order, Didi Global launched an initial public offering (IPO) in the US in which it raised about $4.4 billion dollars. Following the order, CAC proposed…
