China’s State Internet Information Office (CAC) claimed in a statement on Friday (May 26) that it had been closed from March 10 to May 22 as part of a wider “rectification” campaign 67,000 social media accounts were hacked and hundreds of thousands of posts were deleted.
“Reuters” reported that since 2021, the CCP has targeted billions of social media accounts and started to suppress and carry out the so-called “clean up” cyberspace campaign. The fundamental reason is that this “makes it easier for Beijing to control.”
The CCP’s latest campaign is understood to have targeted accounts belonging to the “self-media” category on popular Chinese social media apps such as WeChat, Douyin and Weibo. The term “self-media” refers broadly to accounts that publish news and information but are not government-run or officially sanctioned by the state.
According to Reuters, Beijing routinely arrests Chinese citizens and severely censors accounts that post or share factual information deemed “sensitive” or critical of the Communist Party, the government, or the military. Especially when such information is widely disseminated, the CCP’s suppression is even more severe. It should be noted that most of the time, this information is not related to pornography, crime, violence and other content.
Of the 67,000 permanently closed accounts, nearly 8,000 were deactivated for “spreading fake news, rumors, and harmful information,” according to the CCP’s own statement. In addition, some 930,000 other accounts have suffered less severe crackdowns from Beijing, with “punishments” ranging from deleting all followers, to suspending or revoking earning privileges, and more.
In another crackdown, Chinese regulators recently closed the accounts of more than 100,000 news anchors and media outlets. The agency has threatened that the accounts “distort” information, and its actions are in response to online “fake news” assisted by artificial intelligence technology.
The State Internet Information Office claims that the latest campaign targeted nearly 13,000 “fake military accounts” with names such as “Chinese Red Army Command,” “Chinese Anti-Terrorist Force” and “Strategic Missile Force,” among others. In addition, about 25,000 other accounts were named for public institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state-run research institutes. Nearly 187,000 people have been penalized for “impersonating” news media businesses, while it says more than 430,000 have provided professional advice or educational services without the relevant professional qualifications.
In addition, Chinese authorities advertised that some 45,000 accounts had been shut down for “hyping hot issues, chasing influence, and illegal monetization.” In this round of Beijing campaign, nearly one million public posts were deleted.
In the statement, the supervisory department of the Beijing regime revealed the goals and operational methods of its new round of campaigns—some media believe that this is exactly the same as the CCP’s previous campaigns to instigate “people to punish others.”
It claims: “Departments such as public security and market supervision…rectify…”We Media”.” “At the same time, they also call on the majority of netizens to actively participate in monitoring and reporting (“We Media”), provide clues…to jointly maintain cyberspace.”
1 comment
879696 4331Glad to be one of several visitants on this incredible web website : D. 92014