85 people 'arrested or detained' as China steps up clampdown on internet rumours
Social media uses spread false news of looming earthquake and gunshots heard in Beijing, police say
Four people were arrested and while 81 others were either detained or warned by Chinese police as the government cracks down on alleged internet rumour-mongering, state media reported on Saturday.
Police did not give details on the timing of the actions, Xinhua news agency said, adding that 16 websites were punished for “weak safety management”.
Citing police, Xinhua said the alleged rumour-mongers “used social network services to fabricate and spread rumours, or forward rumours published on foreign websites”.
It added that among the rumours were “predictions of an earthquake in Beijing within two to six days and gunshots having been heard in the west of the Chinese capital”.
The latest moves come amid a crackdown on the spread of online rumours, which rights groups have criticised as an excuse to punish people who publish information critical of the ruling Communist Party.
Hundreds have been detained in the campaign, while several bloggers have been handed lengthy jail sentences, resulting in a decline in use of microblogs.
Dong Rubin, a blogger known for criticising Communist Party officials, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail as part of the campaign last month, state media said.