- Toronto-based research team Citizen Lab made the bombshell claim yesterday
- Censored content included texts about the virus deemed as ‘rumours’, it is said
- The app allegedly expanded the scope of censorship as the outbreak escalated
- It remains unknown if this is an order from the government to media companies
- The novel coronavirus has killed 3,220 and infected over 94,100 people globally
One of China‘s most popular social media apps started to censor messages about the coronavirus a week before officials acknowledged the virus, it has been revealed.
Toronto-based research group Citizen lab released a report yesterday, suggesting that WeChat started to block coronavirus-related content on January 1 and expanded the scope of censorship as the outbreak grew.
But it wasn’t until January 7 when the Chinese authorities announced they had identified a new virus.
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