After a regulatory crackdown in China that has forced tech giants to stop blocking competitor links on their platform, WeChat is now allowing rival links to be shared by users.
It is also making its content available on Google and Bing.
The changes will be implemented in phases.
WeChat is known to post content in the form of articles and videos on its public accounts page, a page that functions like a news portal. Now, it has made the content available on Google and Bing. In other words, you can now conduct searches for WeChat’s content on these popular search engines.
WeChat will no longer block rival links
China’s tech platforms have displayed a penchant for blocking rival links on their platforms to ensure that only their content is shared by users. However, recently, the content-cold-war between many of China’s messaging apps came to an end. On the heels of that, WeChat has now allowed its users to access and share external links on the platform. It is also making its content discoverable on global search engines, as opposed to just sticking to its own search engine, Sogou.
This move is a part of a larger regulatory crackdown that’s being enforced to stop the practise of link blocking. The said practise represented a loss worth billions of dollars for many platforms, thereby inhibiting the growth of the industry as a whole.
WeChat confirmed that it will be implementing these changes in phases. In a statement made to Reuters, the company said, "At the same time, WeChat will also actively cooperate with other Internet platforms to implement this guidance and explore the technical possibilities of using WeChat services on other platforms, to achieve further interconnectivity."
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Video Source: WeChat
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Kajoli Anand Puri
Kajoli is a tech-enthusiast with a soft-spot for smart kitchen and home appliances. She loves exploring gadgets and gizmos that are designed to make life simpler, but also secretly fears a world run by AI. Oh wait, we’re already there. View Full Profile
