Chinese social media platforms WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, etc., have recently forced the display of user IP (“Internet Protocol”) territories. Although various platforms say that this is to purify the Internet ecology and combat false information, observers have analyzed that the Chinese government’s Internet “clear” operation has forced media platforms to self-censor, and the public opinion field is further weakening. “Junkyard” will take over the entire network. The real purpose of this measure is to “clearly” frighten the people in China so that they dare not criticize the government, so as to defend the regime of Xi Jinping, which is inseparable from the epidemic and the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
WeChat, China’s largest communication platform, said on April 29 that users will display the IP location when they publish content. This is another Chinese social media addition to force the display of the user’s IP location after the Weibo announcement on the 28th that it would display the function of the IP location for commenting. ranks.
Previously, Douyin, Kuaishou, Xiaohongshu, Toutiao, Zhihu, etc. have successively launched the function of displaying the IP address of Internet users. Douban, which was rectified by the Chinese network management authorities last month, updated its personal information protection policy on April 26, requiring users to complete real-name authentication before they can register. However, the accounts of the Chinese government, official media and other institutions do not need to show the IP territorial, it is said that it has already “real name at the front desk”, which is more real than showing the territorial.
WeChat said the new regulations were aimed at “maintaining the order of online communication and further cracking down on counterfeiting and handling, spreading rumors and other acts.” Weibo said, “In order to reduce bad behaviors such as impersonating the parties to hot events and rubbing traffic, and ensure that the content of the transmission is true and transparent.” Xiaohongshu also said that the move was “to maintain a real and interactive community atmosphere.”
make it public
Li Hengqing, an economist at the American Institute for Information and Strategic Studies, said in an interview with VOA that social media in China is a place where people complain when they have opinions about the government’s practices. Especially during the epidemic, many citizens have accumulated a lot of information about the forced closure of the city. Their dissatisfaction is relieved through social media sharing and transmission. For example, during the closure of the city in Shanghai, a musician played a trumpet on the top floor. To the people’s roar”, the video was widely circulated on social media, allowing people to see the real anger of Shanghai people.
He said that the Chinese government naturally does not want to see its policies criticized, so it uses various methods to let netizens know that criticizing the government on social media is not free, but bears responsibility, and scares these social platforms. Self-censorship, banning people who disagree with the government’s opinions, has become commonplace.
Li Hengqing said that even if the IP territory is not disclosed, China’s Internet information system has long been able to locate and know where netizens are speaking. Especially with the 20th National Congress in half a year, if everyone criticizes the government and policies on social media, it will be detrimental to the stability of Xi Jinping’s core.
He said: “The reason why it does this to ask you to put this matter in the public eye is actually to scare you, tell you, warn you in public, saying that you have been exposed to the spotlight now, and you dare to do it again. Criticizing me, in fact, to achieve the purpose of making you dare not speak.”
Control public opinion
Xiao Shan, a Chinese news commentator, said in an interview with VOA that many blockbuster news in China, such as a municipal party secretary in Henan slapping his subordinates, and the incidents of Yili and Hongmao medicinal wine in Inner Mongolia, were not exposed through official media. Most of it is through social media, that is, the monstrous public opinion detonated by the media.
He said that if the Chinese government wants to forcefully control public opinion, it must introduce such a tough policy that shows IP territorial, and such control is also largely related to the epidemic and the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. He also believes that the grassroots may be more afraid to open the “stinky wound” and are more than willing to actively cooperate with the new regulations. This is a morbid manifestation of the deepening social contradictions. Announcing IP territories is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst.
This new regulation can be traced back to the “Regulations on the Management of Internet User Account Name Information (Draft for Comment)” issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China in October last year. The territorial information of the IP address of the Internet user account shall be marked with the province (region, city), and the territorial information of the IP address of the overseas account shall be marked with the country (region).”
Overseas Internet celebrities “return to China overnight””
Since social media forced the disclosure of IP territories, some netizens laughed and pointed out that a large number of Internet celebrities who claimed to be overseas “returned to China overnight”. For example, the IP territory of “Laijiang is in Tokyo” is displayed as Shanghai, and the IP of “Nana is in the UK” The territory is Guangdong, and the IP territory of “Wang Pharmacist in the UK” is Tianjin. Some netizens asked in surprise: “Why did you return to China all of a sudden?”, “Northeast pretends to be Tokyo, and you are cruel”, “You said you were in Fukuoka, but it turned out to be in Fujian?”
Some internet celebrities who “operate across regions” in mainland China have also been exposed one by one. Some people write about the food, drink, and entertainment life in Guangzhou and Beijing, but it turns out that their IP is actually located in Hunan, etc.
Chinese netizens also have different views on the new regulation. Supporters believe that “announcement of IP in a timely manner can effectively reduce the appearance of malicious content that spreads rumors and rumors”, “No serious person is afraid of publishing IP”, “Those who don’t support are full of ghosts.” Opponents criticized that this move would expose personal privacy, “the ring around my neck is getting tighter and tighter” and “I feel like I’m running naked on Weibo now.”
Zhejiang student rights protection case filed
In an interview with Chinese media, Hu Gang, deputy secretary-general of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Internet Society of China, said that if the platform displays the user’s complete IP address, the user’s specific location can be found through technical means, and there will be concerns about violating privacy. It does not constitute an invasion of privacy if only the IP territorial is displayed.
Hong Kong Ming Pao reported on May 1 that a student from Zhejiang Sci-Tech University found that his location appeared under the comments on Weibo, but his mobile Weibo location permission was turned off at the time. He therefore believed that Weibo was used without consent. He processed his personal information and submitted a lawsuit to the court. The case has been officially filed, becoming the first case of violating the principles of personal information processing after the new regulations disclose the user’s IP territorial.
fear of being convicted
Chen Fei, 45, is engaged in cultural work in China and did not wish to give his real name for security reasons. He told VOA that a few years ago in Inner Mongolia, a female police officer from the Public Security Department got out of the car and quarreled with the people because a car of a grocery shopping person blocked in front of her. The video was posted on social media. The word spread, and everyone in Hohhot knew that after a human flesh search, the policewoman’s identity was also exposed. He wrote relevant comments about the incident, but his Weibo account was immediately banned.
Chen Fei said that although everything he writes is well-founded, he will still be banned, so whether it is true speech or fake news will be attacked, he does not know where the standard is. In the future, if the IP territories are disclosed, he will worry that if he publishes remarks that are unfavorable to the government, someone may come to him and cause trouble.
Xiaoshan, who has a legal background, said that if an author makes remarks on sensitive issues in a certain place, the public opinion monitoring system will capture the author’s identity information and IP territory at the first time, which will make it easier to trace the individual. If it has too much influence and involves sensitive political issues, whether it is true or not, it is possible to be charged with pocket crimes such as “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, “inciting subversion of state power” and “false accusation and frame-up”. In this way, it is not as simple as “invading personal privacy rights”, and the author is likely to be convicted, imprisoned, and lose his personal freedom for his words.
Xiaoshan said: “The measure of disclosing IP territorial will further weaken the public opinion field, and positive official media, such as Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, CCTV and other ‘news garbage dumps’ will occupy the entire network, so that the majority of people live in a beautiful and harmonious life. In the illusion of home.”
Cyber Clean Action
Data from the Cyberspace Administration of China shows that last year, the Internet Cleanup Campaign targeted 15 special projects including the chaos of online “fan circles”, the operation of Internet accounts, and the online environment of minors, and a total of more than 22 million illegal and bad information were cleaned up. , disposed of 1.34 billion accounts, banned more than 7,200 streamers, removed more than 2,160 apps and small programs, and closed more than 3,200 websites.
Sheng Ronghua, deputy director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, said at a State Council press conference that this year’s “clear and clear” special campaign will include ten key tasks, including cracking down on online rumors.
On April 24, the Cyberspace Administration of China also deployed the “Clean and Bright Cyber Violence Special Governance Action”, which will carry out a full-chain governance of cyber violence through the establishment and improvement of monitoring and identification, real-time protection, intervention and disposal, traceability and accountability, and publicity and exposure. . The Cyberspace Administration of China said that, in order to strictly prevent the spread of information about cyber violence, it will promptly clean up and deal with comments and barrages involving cyber violence; for different situations such as first posting, frequent posting, incitement and follow-up posting, it will classify and deal with accounts related to cyber violence. Jointly deal with the MCN organization behind the illegal accounts, and severely punish the website platform for dereliction of duty.
Online justice ends bullying
Li Hengqing, an economist at the Institute for Information and Strategy in the United States, said that although the Chinese government regards cracking down on cyber violence as a reason for forcing the disclosure of IP territories, it is only an excuse, because only when there is real justice on the Internet, cyber bullying and violence can was wiped out. But in mainland China, there is no online justice at all, because only the voice of government propaganda can prevail, and netizens who have dissent will be blocked. This top-down policy cannot truly eliminate cyber violence.
He gave an example. In the 9/11 incident in 2001, the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York were bombed, and the number of dead and missing reached 3,000. This incident was applauded on Chinese social media, saying, “Someone finally came out to teach the United States a lesson.” , this kind of behavior is outrageous. He said that so many people in this nation would have such unethical thoughts, which were taught by the Chinese Communist Party.
He said, on the contrary, in the United States, after a boyfriend and girlfriend broke up, the man spread nude photos of his ex-girlfriend on the Internet, causing the girl to commit suicide because of the humiliation and pressure, which caused an uproar in the United States, and the final result was many Americans spontaneously stood up and protested, criticizing online violence, and the man was eventually charged and sentenced.
Building a good civil society
Li Hengqing said: “In a free and democratic society, there will also be cyber violence, but the government does not need to solve the problem in this way (opening IP), but establishes a kind civil society, which can be solved naturally. Because it has justice online.”
He said that what the Chinese government promotes on the Internet is evil, anti-justice and anti-humanity. For example, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the Chinese government has always stood on the side of the aggressor and spoke for Russia. Living in such a country, people with conscience must learn how to continue to speak out justice. It doesn’t matter if social media is banned, just rebuild another one, and if it is banned again, rebuild. The CCP’s ban will never stop the roar in everyone’s heart. It is the so-called wildfire that can’t be burnt out, and the spring breeze will blow again.