Authorities tighten oversight of online platforms and fan communities.
Shanghai has recently launched a special campaign against cyberbullying and toxic fan culture, vowing to crack down on accounts that use AI to spread rumors, engage in malicious doxxing, or organize online feuds and incite harassment, according to the Cyberspace Administration of Shanghai Municipality.
The campaign comes as the city hosts a series of major sporting events, performances and entertainment activities, with online traffic highly concentrated around the sports, cultural and entertainment sectors, making cyberbullying and toxic fan culture more frequent and prone to occur.
In the sports sector, municipal authorities will target malpractices including pitting fans against each other, inciting online conflicts, violating personal privacy and spreading rumors or launching personal attacks.
In the entertainment sector, the campaign will crack down on practices such as manipulating rankings and comments, encouraging minors to spend money on fan support activities, and stalking or harassing celebrities.
For performances, authorities will focus on illegal ticket-related promotion and traffic generation, spreading rumors and defamation, fan-group infighting, and inciting offline conflicts.
Authorities will also urge online platforms to strengthen their moderation measures, with a particular focus on "fan leaders" and their affiliated multi-channel networks (MCNs) that organize online feuds, incite cyberbullying or encourage fundraising, according to the China News Agency.
Platforms will also be urged to introduce tools to help users combat cyberbullying, including one-click protection and bulk evidence collection, while adding pop-up reminders and notices promoting civilized behavior when watching sporting events and performances. Offline ticketing platforms and venues will also be encouraged to display reminders promoting civilized conduct on screens, the China News Agency reported.
"Online platforms should play a role in guiding fan culture and removing content that crosses the line or violates relevant rules," sports commentator Luo Le told the Global Times. "At the same time, fan culture itself is not necessarily negative when properly guided. Fan support can help raise the profile of a sport, attract greater public attention and create new opportunities for athletes and the sports industry."
"Take table tennis as an example. If it weren't for the support of these fans, table tennis might not have become as popular as it is today,"
Luo said, noting that the sport had a much smaller market presence in the past.
According to Luo, the key is how this enthusiasm is guided. Fan support should ultimately bring more attention to the sport itself, rather than fuel conflicts or harm the athletes and the broader sporting environment.
The necessity of drawing lines and regulations has become a focus of the campaign. Shanghai will adopt a coordinated governance approach involving multiple government departments, online platforms and offline venues, while strengthening the responsibilities of website and platform operators, according to the Cyberspace Administration of Shanghai Municipality.
Relevant authorities will take strict measures in accordance with the law against operators and MCN organizations that repeatedly violate regulations or continue to engage in misconduct, in a bid to curb the spread of toxic fan culture across sectors and platforms and protect the legitimate rights and interests of internet users, particularly minors, the official said.
The campaign, which began on Saturday and will run through mid-October, is being jointly carried out by the Cyberspace Administration of the Shanghai Municipal Committee, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, and the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau.
Источник: Global Times
