Update | Chinese censor shuts down dozens of online entertainment news accounts
Agency says move is in line with new cybersecurity law as it tries to promote ‘socialist core values’ and curb ‘excessive reporting on the private lives of celebrities’
China’s online censor has shut down dozens of entertainment news accounts on Weibo, Tencent, NetEase and Baidu – including that of a prominent paparazzo – in a rare crackdown on apolitical content.
The Beijing office of the Cyberspace Administration of China, the censorship agency for websites and mobile apps, said in a notice on Wednesday that the accounts were closed in line with the country’s new cybersecurity law, which came into effect on June 1 and stipulates that online content should not breach privacy.
While the authorities have long been sensitive to political messages – such as those related to the Tiananmen pro-democracy movement in 1989, or the relatives of state leaders – they have been relatively tolerant of news regarding the private lives and affairs of celebrities.
Gossipy stories about the divorce of popular actor Wang Baoqiang often bring hundreds of millions of readers to Chinese websites.
In fact, Weibo’s shift of focus from serious social issues to lighthearted entertainment content is often cited as a reason for its growing popularity and financial success. At US$17.2 billion, China’s answer to Twitter now has a bigger market capitalisation on the Nasdaq than Twitter, which stands at US$12.8 billion.