Two days ago, Weibo, announced that it will no longer allow all links to be shared on its social media platform. They introduced this new regulation as a measure of tightening security.
(Announcement in Chinese: https://www.weibo.com/1934183965/JaeVFpZpt?type=repost )
What does that mean?
First of all, if you’re a business who shares links on Weibo, you will need to make sure the websites you are sharing from, have an ICP license. Websites need to have an ICP, in order to be on the ‘whitelist’ of approved websites to share links on Weibo.
However, don’t worry, other social media platform links such as #WeChat articles will still be permitted.
Do you need help getting an ICP license for your business?
Reach out to us, and we can help you from 0 to 1.
Chinese text from the announcement:
“一直以来，微博为构建开放多元的内容生态而努力。考虑到140字微博对内容长度的限制，外链在内容展示中的美观程度，以及用户点击外链的信任度等问题， 微博自2011年3月起， 正式启用t.cn作为短链接服务新域名，提供非微博网址的外链转换短链，和短链自动解析跳转的优质配套服务（简称短链服务）。 月覆盖规模超过150亿人次。
纵观互联网行业，短链服务多与企业服务捆绑，较少对个人用户开放。 在为数不多的服务提供商中，国外知名短链服务提供商Bitly，提供29美元包月服务（约合人民币200元）。 国内主流内容平台中，百度也为付费模式， 针对短链转换、点击跳转双向计费， 既提供3000元起的包月服务，又提供10元1万次起的计次服务。
随着短链需求的增加，近年来出现一些第三方公司， 利用微博所提供的不受限制的免费服务，从事非法营销类活动，导致短链服务指向的内容良莠不齐。 微博先后多次应省级运营商要求对该服务进行整改治理。特别今年上半年， 短链服务被互联网黑产利用，通过发布涉黄赌博等违法信息，向站外导流获取非法利益。已严重扰乱社区秩序，影响微博用户的使用体验。
本着开放内容生态的初心，同时有效阻断黑产的恶意行为，微博参照主流内容平台的做法和用户体验，将目前的短链服务调整为受限制的免费服务，即采用外链白名单机制， 仅对白名单网站，如政府、新闻、认证企业网站提供免费服务。 对白名单以外的网址均不再支持跳转。
微博的外链白名单主要包括以下4类：
1. 政府网站（以 .gov.cn 、.gov.com 结尾）；
2. 正规媒体网站；
3. 各大门户网站；
4. 企业自主向微博平台申报确认后的正规网站；
其中，前3类由微博官方添加，第4类需要企业认证账号自行向微博平台申报。
企业申报条件如下：
1. 须使用企业认证账号申报对应的企业官方网址；
2. 须确保所申报的域名网址指向的内容合法合规；
3. 须提供网站ICP备案和营业执照等信息；
私信至@企业微博助理，提交申报审核。
微博外链白名单机制将于8月初上线， 请企业认证账号加紧申报， 以免影响后续使用。感谢用户对微博的理解与支持。”
English Translation of the Announcement:
Weibo has been working hard to build an open and diversified content ecosystem. Considering the 140-word limit of the content of Weibo, the beauty of the external link in the content display, and the trust of the user to click on the external link, Weibo Since March 2011, T.cn has officially launched t.cn as a new domain name for short-link services, providing non-Weibo URL conversion short chains, and high-quality supporting services for short-chain automatic parsing and jumping (short-chain services for short). The monthly coverage exceeds 15 billion people.
Throughout the Internet industry, short-chain services are mostly bundled with enterprise services and are less open to individual users. Among the few service providers, Bitly, a well-known foreign short-chain service provider, provides a monthly subscription service of US$29 (about RMB200). Among the mainstream content platforms in China, Baidu is also a paid model. For short-chain conversion and click-and-hop two-way billing, it not only provides a monthly service starting at 3,000 yuan, but also provides a counting service starting at 10,000 yuan and 10,000 times.
With the increase in demand for short chains, in recent years, some third-party companies have used unrestricted free services provided by Weibo to engage in illegal marketing activities, resulting in uneven content directed by short-chain services. Weibo has rectified this service several times in response to requests from provincial operators. Especially in the first half of this year, the short-chain service was used by Internet hackers. By publishing illegal information such as pornographic gambling, it obtained illegal benefits from the diversion from outside the station. It has seriously disrupted the community order and affected the user experience of Weibo users.
Based on the original intention of opening the content ecology and effectively blocking the malicious behavior of black products, Weibo adjusted the current short-chain service to a restricted free service by referring to the practices and user experience of mainstream content platforms, that is, using a whitelist of external chains The mechanism only provides free services to whitelisted websites, such as government, news, and certified enterprise websites. Websites other than whitelists no longer support jumping.
Weibo’s external chain whitelist mainly includes the following 4 categories:
1. Government website (ends with .gov.cn, .gov.com);
2. Regular media website;
3. Major portals;
4. The formal website after the enterprise independently declares and confirms to the Weibo platform;
Among them, the first three categories are added by Weibo officials, and the fourth category requires the enterprise authentication account to declare to the Weibo platform.
The conditions for enterprise declaration are as follows:
1. The company’s official website must be declared using the company’s authentication account;
2. Make sure that the content of the declared domain name website points to legal compliance;
3. Must provide information such as ICP filing and business license on the website; Private letter to @企微博经理, submit the declaration for review.
The micro-blog external chain whitelist mechanism will be launched in early August, please apply for the enterprise authentication account to step up, so as not to affect subsequent use. Thank you for your understanding and support of Weibo. “
