Seven blockchain and crypto-related accounts on China's Weibo messaging app, including that of Tron founder Justin Sun, appear to have been blocked.

Chinese website 8BTC reported the news Thursday, noting seven verified accounts had been deactivated on the Twitter-like platform. The list included influencers such as Sun and news source BeatleNews. CoinDesk has confirmed that the seven accounts have been deactivated. A message saying they violated platform rules greets visitors. Censors don't normally announce which accounts have been banned. In China, what started as a crackdown on crypto mining in May has extended into trading and media. CoinWorld, a Chinese news website and app, announced its closure on July 15, saying it was following guidance from the People's Bank of China. Regulators and state media have condemned what they called speculation in crypto markets. On June 5, a dozen crypto influencers' Weibo accounts were blocked, following a March ban on crypto exchanges. Sun's account was banned from Weibo back in 2019, along with Binance co-founder Yi He. The Tron founder has fostered his relationship with authorities by joining a research project at the Communist Party's top university.