China's cyberspace watchdog launches campaign to tackle illegal and false content.
China's top cyberspace regulator announced the launch of a two-month nationwide campaign to address illegal and harmful content on local online discussion platforms, particularly those hyping extreme incidents and disasters and spreading rumors and misinformation about public policies and social issues.
The special campaign will regulate content and services across diverse areas including social networking, short videos, livestreaming, e-commerce, search engines, group buying reviews on local online platforms and within mobile applications, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said in a statement released on its official WeChat account on Thursday.
The cyberspace watchdog will tackle “negative content and online behaviors that spread hostility online”.
“This includes using local hot topics related to housing, education, healthcare and food safety to hurl malicious insults, slander, and stigmatize regions, professions, and groups, promoting negative emotions including pessimism and fear to incite group antagonism,”
says China's state-run Global Times.
The special campaign will also crack down on online rumors and misinformation related to public policies and social welfare, fabricated disasters, accidents, and incidents designed to spark public panic.
According to CAC, in emergency situations, some people distort facts and fabricate details of incidents to create sensationalized conspiracy theories. They may pose as participants or relatives of victims, publishing false information and attracting the attention of online users by creating tragic stories and manipulating public sympathy.
Besides, the explicit and vulgar content such as posts, images, short videos and livestreaming with clear sexual innuendoes or provocative language will also be regulated by the cyberspace watchdog. Content such as explicit novels, animation and provocative pictures with real models to promote adult products will be cleared up.
The regulator will also crack down on illegal activities, including prostitution and swindling that induce online users through mobile applications posing as matchmaking or massage services. In addition, manipulation of rankings to fake popularity among products, catering services and hotels will also be curbed.
Source: The Global Times