China will force real-name registrations on public accounts of instant messaging tools and require those wishing to publish or reprint political news to seek prior approval, state media and Tencent Holdings Ltd said on Thursday.
Last year, China launched a campaign to clamp down on online rumor mongering and "clean up" the Internet. The crackdown has led to an exodus of users from Twitter-like microblog platforms such as Weibo Corp.'s Weibo after authorities detained hundreds of outspoken users.
The latest restrictions will affect hugely popular mobile messaging apps such as Tencent's WeChat, which has almost 400 million users. Other instant messaging tools include Tencent's QQ, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s Laiwang app, NetEase Inc.'s Yixin and Xiaomi Inc.'s Miliao.