Crypto and blockchain-focused WeChat accounts, China’s homegrown, and most popular social messaging app, are permanently suspended by authorities.

The motive for the removal of accounts such as Deepchain, Coindaily, Huobi News and Jinse along with all the content they have produced, is not entirely clear although it’s likely to suppress the discussion of digital currency which has been a controversial subject in China.

After famously banning all foreign and domestic crypto trading platforms back in February of this year, the Chinese central bank developed its own centralized digital currency.

WeChat operator Tencent has been under pressure from the Cyberspace Administration of China. This is likely in regards to the set of rules announced by the administration earlier this month stating that “instant messaging tools serving in public information service activities shall abide by relevant laws and regulations.”

These laws and regulations weren’t specified, but WeChat was informed that “users who violate the agreement, the instant messaging service provider shall take measures such as warning, restriction, suspension, and closure until the account is closed, meanwhile saving the relevant records and fulfilling the obligation to report to the relevant authority.”

WeChat was therefore obligated to close accounts which were “suspected of publishing information related to ICOs [initial coin offerings] and speculations on cryptocurrency trading.”

While the suspension of such accounts was a step back for China’s cryptocurrency related businesses and communities, it didn’t come as a surprise. WeChat suspended an application that would have allowed users to create contract agreements and a unique social media ID using blockchain technology. The censorship is part of an ongoing effort in China to do away with all things crypto.

Wang Peng, the founder of Shenlian, one of China’s most popular resources for crypto-related news, wrote in an internal letter to employees, “We’ve sensed [the tightening up] coming half a month ago, and have prepared for it, but we weren’t able to escape it. This is the beginning of Shenlian and our chance. We will be 100 times better than what we are now.”