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Eva Li

China’s internet regulator has updated its rules on internet and social media news, requiring all online news broadcasters to obtain government licences.
It is the first comprehensive revision of the regulations in 12 years.
China’s internet censorship under fire – but proposal against controls gets ... censored
It incorporates a collection of piecemeal documents and groups them together to provide a clearer scope of the restrictions.
It also provides clearer definitions of which media would require licences for distributing news. They include “websites, applications, forums, blogs, microblogs, public accounts, instant messaging tools and internet broadcasts”.

The updated regulations were uploaded to the website of the Cyberspace Administration of China yesterday and come into ­effect on June 1.
It remains to be seen if the move signals a crackdown on public accounts of instant messaging platforms.
China tightens Great Firewall by declaring unauthorised VPN services illegal
Although the 2014 temporary regulations stipulate that licences must be held for publishing news content via public accounts on WeChat or instant messaging platforms, unofficial reporting and discussion of current affairs have thrived.
China this year ranked 176th place – fifth from the bottom – on the World Press Freedom Index compiled by the NGO Reporters without Borders, and has some of the world’s most intrusive regulations to control online content.

The country has developed its sophisticated so-called Great Firewall to deny its people access to uncensored online information. Google, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are banned in mainland
China, along with news websites of most foreign media.
Beijing has stepped up efforts to control internet information since President Xi Jinping came to power in late 2012.
All news stories must be verified, China’s internet censor decrees as it tightens grip on online media
Internet censors last year closed a number of news channels on leading domestic internet portals including Sina.com and Sohu.com, banning their websites’ editorial staff from doing their own reporting or producing original content.
Early this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology started a campaign against unauthorised internet connections, including virtual private network services that enable internet users to bypass the Great Firewall.


China updates internet regulations to tighten control over online news

The revised rules provide clear definitions of which media require licences for distributing news. Photo: EPA

epa04129215 A smartphone running the Sina Weibo social networking app is seen against a background of the company logo on screen in Beijing, China, 17 March 2014. Sina Weibo is one of a number of large Chinese technology companies preparing for initial public offerings (IPO) this year. EPA/ADRIAN BRADSHAW

Conference workers speak in front of a demo booth at Facebook's annual F8 developer conference, Tuesday, April 18, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

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First major overhaul in 12 years consolidates rules across internet and social media formats
