China's cyberspace watchdog launches campaign to tackle illegal and false content

China's top cyberspace regulator announced Thursday 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 such as 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.

According to CAC, the authority will target the sensationalizing of occasional extreme incidents, heatedly discussed events, disasters and accidents, events forcibly linked to history or labeled with specific regions, remarks promoting biased or discriminatory views to stir regional tensions.

Meanwhile, 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 the CAC, when local emergency events occur, some people distort or fabricate the causes, details and developments of the incidents to produce sensational conspiracy theories. Some even impersonate parties involved in the incidents, relatives, or other related personnel to publish false information, seeking attention from the netizens. They create tragic personas, fabricate distressing stories, and stage videos of tragic experiences to exploit 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.

Moreover, the cyberspace watchdog will crack down on illegal and criminal activities such as prostitution and swindling that induce online users via mobile applications through online groups, QR codes and social networking accounts in the name of matchmaking, dating, offline companionship, travel partners, massage service and rental information.

In addition, the special campaign will also regulate paid review services. Such activities include hiring people to create ratings and reviews and coordinating bulk positive reviews to manipulate rankings to fake popularity among products, catering services and hotels.

The CAC emphasized that cyberspace regulators in localities should fully recognize the importance of this campaign in ensuring a healthier online ecosystem and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of internet users.