12th June: China shifts its focus to create a clean cyberspace. Read on to discover the reasons that initiated such an action by the government.
Following a two-month investigation into alleged false information, illicit posting and impersonation of state officials, among other "pronounced problems," China's cyberspace regulator announced that 1.4 million social media posts had been removed.
In a statement released on Friday, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said that as part of a larger rectification drive, it had cancelled 67,000 social media accounts and erased thousands of postings between March 10 and May 22.
China started focusing on social media accounts in the billions in 2021 in an effort to clean its cyberspace and make it simpler for authorities to govern.
The most recent crackdown targeted WeChat, Douyin, and Weibo accounts that are classified as "self media", which is a word that roughly refers to accounts that post news and information, but are not controlled by the government or sanctioned by the state.
Beijing routinely detains people and blocks accounts for disseminating or criticising the Communist Party, the government, or the military in factual material that is deemed sensitive or becomes viral.
Nearly 8,000 of the 67,000 accounts that were closed permanently were removed for "spreading fake news, rumours, and harmful information," according to CAC.
Another 930,000 accounts were given less severe penalties, such as losing all of their followers or having their ability to make money suspended or cancelled.
To combat the rise of online fake news coverage helped by AI technologies, the regulator recently terminated over 100,000 accounts that purportedly misrepresented news anchors and media organisations.
Approximately 25,000 additional accounts were chosen to pose as government organisations including disease and preventative control centres and state-run research organisations.
Over 430,000 people are accused of providing professional advice or educational services without having the necessary professional qualifications, and nearly 187,000 people were fined for impersonating news media organisations.
A cluster of 45,000 accounts were closed for hyping current issues, clout-chasing, and illegal monetisation.
The regulatory body claimed to have "actively coordinated with public security, market supervision, and other departments, to deliver a heavy blow and rectify illegal ‘self-media'."
“At the same time, (we) also call on the majority of netizens to actively participate in monitoring and reporting (illegal ‘self-media’), provide clues … and jointly maintain a clean cyberspace,” it added.