Sunday May 28, 2023
China's Cyberspace Administration (CAC) recently announced the removal of 1.4 million social media posts in a crackdown on "self-media" accounts.
Over the course of two months, the CAC conducted a wide-ranging investigation into alleged crimes, including disinformation, illegal profiteering and impersonation of public officials. In a statement issued on Friday, the CAC revealed that it shut down 67,000 social media accounts and eradicated hundreds of thousands of posts between March 10 and May 22 as part of a comprehensive "remedial" campaign.
China is actively pursuing a strategy to clean up its cyberspace and facilitate tighter scrutiny by authorities. From 2021, the country aims to regulate billions of social media accounts. The recent crackdown has focused specifically on "self-media" accounts, referring to those that publish news and information independently, without government affiliation or state approval. Major Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat, Douyin and Weibo were targeted during this operation.
The Chinese government has a history of arresting citizens and censoring accounts that share or disseminate factual information deemed sensitive or critical of the Communist Party, government, or military, especially if such content goes viral. According to the CAC, of the 67,000 permanently closed accounts, nearly 8,000 were removed for spreading fake news, rumors and malicious content.
In addition, about 930,000 other accounts received minor penalties, ranging from loss of followers to temporary suspension or removal of profit privileges. In a separate campaign, the regulator recently shut down more than 100,000 accounts that allegedly misrepresented news anchors and media agencies, countering the rise of online fake news enabled by AI technology.
The CAC's latest effort also targeted some 13,000 fraudulent military accounts that included names such as "Chinese Red Army Command," "Chinese Counter-Terrorism Force," and "Strategic Missile Force." Another 25,000 accounts were identified as impersonating public institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and government research institutes.
In addition, some 187,000 accounts faced consequences for pretending to be news media, while more than 430,000 were accused of providing professional advice or educational services without the required qualifications. Approximately 45,000 accounts were closed for mediating trending topics, seeking popularity and engaging in illegal monetization.
The CAC emphasized its active cooperation with the public security and market supervision departments to deal a significant blow to illegal "self-media" accounts. It also encouraged netizens to actively participate in monitoring and reporting such illegal activities and encouraged joint efforts to maintain a clean and regulated cyberspace.
