https://www.scmp.com/rss/328313/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Eunice Xu Eunice Xu China’s internet regulator has introduced new rules for live stream tipping, banning children under eight from the practice and introducing a tiered system for older minors, as part of a broader effort to curb manipulative inducements and irrational spending behaviour. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced the live-streaming regulations on Monday after unveiling them on April 4, banning platforms from allowing children under eight to tip content creators. Under a new tiered... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3349912/china-curbs-live-stream-tipping-new-rules-protect-minors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3349912/china-curbs-live-stream-tipping-new-rules-protect-minors?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:00:49 +0000 Jane Cai Jane Cai As the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran continues, Chinese social media is buzzing with condemnations of Washington, expressions of sympathy for Tehran and an outpouring of unsolicited strategic advice. The conflict, which began with the February 28 air strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has dominated the list of trending topics on the country’s main platforms, such as WeChat, Weibo and Douyin. Social media is tightly controlled and most of the comments... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347475/chinese-social-media-awash-criticisms-us-it-possible-go-too-far?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347475/chinese-social-media-awash-criticisms-us-it-possible-go-too-far?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:00:09 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang A social media ban on a stand-up comic for joking about marriage has triggered an online backlash in China. Authorities said the Weibo account of Uygur stand-up comedian Xiao Pa was suspended as part of a cyberspace clean-up campaign during the Chinese New Year. Xiao Pa, whose real name is Paziliyaer Paerhati, was banned from posting online, a verified Weibo community manager posted on Friday. “Xiao Pa had posted information that stirred up gender conflicts and created anxiety over marriage and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3344977/chinese-social-media-bans-female-uygur-comic-over-marriage-jokes-sparks-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3344977/chinese-social-media-bans-female-uygur-comic-over-marriage-jokes-sparks-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 01:00:20 +0000 Jane Cai Jane Cai After a months-long war of words between an online influencer and a restaurant chain owner, a Communist Party mouthpiece has taken the unusual step of direct intervention – underlining China’s desire to rein in internet celebrities and social media platforms. Since Sunday, People’s Daily has published four commentaries about the restaurant chain Xibei, which says it expects to lose 500 million yuan (US$71.8 million) following an influencer’s online complaints about pre-made dishes. “This is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3341119/xibei-vs-influencer-why-beijing-called-time-chinese-restaurant-food-feud?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3341119/xibei-vs-influencer-why-beijing-called-time-chinese-restaurant-food-feud?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 04:00:13 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang In a landmark case in China, two AI chatbot developers have appealed against their convictions on pornography charges over software that generated sexual content for paid users. The Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court began on Wednesday hearing the appeal by the two defendants against an earlier decision by a lower court to sentence one of the developers to four years and the other to 1½ years in prison for “creating pornographic material for profit”. The hearing has been adjourned,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3339908/jailed-chinese-ai-chatbot-developers-appeal-landmark-pornography-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3339908/jailed-chinese-ai-chatbot-developers-appeal-landmark-pornography-case?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 01:00:13 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang China’s ideology chief has again called on propaganda officials to focus on the economy, as the country grapples with a slowdown, high unemployment and weak consumer demand. Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, told a national meeting of publicity department heads in Beijing on Monday that “a good start should be set” for the next five-year plan, state news agency Xinhua reported. The country’s new blueprint for social and economic development has officially begun and runs until... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3338882/chinas-ideology-chief-calls-propaganda-officials-focus-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3338882/chinas-ideology-chief-calls-propaganda-officials-focus-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 07:00:11 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen Mary Roettger was just one of millions of Americans seeking a social media life raft when she warily logged onto China’s RedNote platform for the first time in January. As fears loomed over a threatened US ban on TikTok, the Florida writer braced for a clumsy, spam-filled experience full of “negative people”. Instead, she was struck by a starkly different culture. Roettger was “blown away with the amount of tenderness and excitement” of the online community suddenly before her. “That was new,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3335401/soft-power-hard-work-can-china-harness-social-media-apps-rewire-its-global-image?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3335401/soft-power-hard-work-can-china-harness-social-media-apps-rewire-its-global-image?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 03:10:47 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat Shanghai has launched a crackdown on online content that talks down the property market, as the sector remains mired in a prolonged downturn and two leading data providers pull back on releasing updated sales figures for China’s top developers. The Shanghai branch of the Cyberspace Administration of China said it had instructed platforms including RedNote and Bilibili – often dubbed China’s answer to Instagram and YouTube – to remove content deemed to be spreading misleading or alarmist... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335083/shanghai-launches-clampdown-property-market-doom-mongering?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335083/shanghai-launches-clampdown-property-market-doom-mongering?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:00:10 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang The vulnerability of safe digital spaces for China’s LGBTQ community has been underscored by the abrupt removal of the country’s two most popular same-sex dating apps – Blued and Finka – from mainland app stores under government orders. The apps, both owned by Hong Kong-based BlueCity Holdings Ltd, were first noticed missing by Chinese social media users last weekend. Apple confirmed the removals in a statement sent to the South China Morning Post on Thursday, explaining that it follows the laws... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3332962/chinas-lgbtq-community-loses-key-lifeline-blued-finka-apps-abruptly-vanish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3332962/chinas-lgbtq-community-loses-key-lifeline-blued-finka-apps-abruptly-vanish?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 08:00:15 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Grass-roots enthusiasm has played the main role in shaping China’s online nationalist narrative and has pushed celebrities to follow, according to a study published in the American peer-reviewed journal Science Advances last week. Contrary to the common perception that nationalism on Chinese social media space is more top down and that Beijing uses such platforms to influence or control public opinion, the study jointly done by researchers from leading universities in the United States and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3332870/are-chinas-stars-leading-fans-be-more-nationalist-or-other-way-round?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3332870/are-chinas-stars-leading-fans-be-more-nationalist-or-other-way-round?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 04:00:14 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang A former Chinese state media editor and vocal supporter of the government has called for greater tolerance for free expression. On Monday, Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of Global Times, a tabloid owned by Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily, wrote on social media that society “should be as open as possible within the constitutional order under [the Communist Party’s] leadership”. “There should be a collective consensus respecting individual rights on the Chinese internet,” Hu... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328973/former-state-media-editor-warns-against-collective-silence-chinese-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328973/former-state-media-editor-warns-against-collective-silence-chinese-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 10:14:37 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei As China settles into its “golden week” National Day holiday, the country’s cyber watchdogs are hard at work scouring the internet for negative sentiment, and handing out harsh penalties or imposing bans on influential online figures and social media platforms. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said on Monday that the latest round of its “Clean Net” campaign aimed to “crack down on malicious incitement of negative emotions” and “create a more civilised and rational online... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327678/why-china-targeting-negative-emotions-its-latest-online-clean-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327678/why-china-targeting-negative-emotions-its-latest-online-clean-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 12:00:09 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang The operator of China’s second-most popular short video app, Kuaishou Technology, and microblogging platform Weibo came under scrutiny from the nation’s top internet regulator for allegedly “damaging the online ecosystem” due to lax content control. Kuaishou and Weibo had failed to manage content effectively, allowing celebrity gossip to infiltrate their trending topics, according to two notices published on the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC)’s WeChat public account on Saturday. The... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3326376/china-warns-kuaishou-weibo-over-celebrity-gossip-amid-crackdown-online-content?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3326376/china-warns-kuaishou-weibo-over-celebrity-gossip-amid-crackdown-online-content?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 10:00:17 +0000 Phoebe Zhang,Alcott Wei Phoebe Zhang,Alcott Wei A week has passed since China held its Victory Day parade but fans have kept up the national pride momentum by buying missile toys and creating trend videos. Toymakers across Taobao, the country’s biggest e-commerce site, are busy making plush toy versions of the DF-61 and DF-5C domestically made intercontinental ballistic missiles that were unveiled in the September 3 parade. In one shop, a pillow replica of the DF-5C comes in green, brown and white, and in three sizes up to 160cm (61 inches).... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3325309/want-relive-chinese-military-parade-try-cuddly-missile-plushie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3325309/want-relive-chinese-military-parade-try-cuddly-missile-plushie?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2025 08:00:13 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang A provincial authority in China has lashed out at online stand-up comedy shows, accusing some of attacking men and “stirring up gender antagonism”. In its notice on Sunday, the Zhejiang provincial publicity department did not refer to any specific content but its comments come as a number of performances by women comedians addressing gender-related topics have gained popularity in recent weeks. The shows provide a unique space for discussing social issues, including problems faced by women, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3319097/chinese-officials-accuse-popular-online-stand-shows-stirring-gender-antagonism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3319097/chinese-officials-accuse-popular-online-stand-shows-stirring-gender-antagonism?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 06:04:08 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng ByteDance has parted ways with a senior executive who oversaw content moderation and data labelling for its China-focused apps, according to sources and media reports, as the Beijing-based company advances content security amid Beijing’s strict censorship requirements. Li Tong, who led the Content Quality and Data Service (CQC) team under Douyin Group, was no longer listed in ByteDance’s internal employee system, according to people familiar with the matter. Douyin, one of ByteDance’s core... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3313681/bytedances-china-head-content-quality-leaves-amid-stricter-censorship-requirements?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3313681/bytedances-china-head-content-quality-leaves-amid-stricter-censorship-requirements?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jun 2025 10:00:10 +0000 Chinese authorities have fined ultranationalist blogger Sima Nan, an outspoken critic of the West and the private sector in his own country, more than 9 million yuan (US$1.2 million) for tax evasion. State broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday that tax authorities in Beijing detected tax fraud through big data analysis and found that from 2019 to 2023 Sima Nan had under-reported 4.62 million yuan in taxes using methods such as concealing income and making false declarations. Additionally, he owned... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3303279/china-fines-ultranationalist-blogger-sima-nan-us12-million-tax-evasion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3303279/china-fines-ultranationalist-blogger-sima-nan-us12-million-tax-evasion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Mar 2025 04:58:14 +0000 China has announced new rules limiting what information can be shared about the military. Beijing said the rules were designed to protect defence sources and the People’s Liberation Army’s public image, but they may mean it will be harder to monitor the development and evolution of China’s military. From March 1 “online military information providers” will be banned from “producing, copying, publishing, or disseminating” previously undisclosed information, including details of weapon systems and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3298106/china-tightens-rules-publishing-information-about-military-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3298106/china-tightens-rules-publishing-information-about-military-online?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Feb 2025 11:39:49 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Chinese microblogging platform Weibo has adjusted its algorithms to better reflect “public values”, as tech firms in the country race to meet a deadline to fix so-called algorithm issues amid an ongoing regulatory crackdown. Weibo, dubbed China’s answer to X, said on Sunday that it has optimised and upgraded the algorithms for Hot Search, its trending topics section, to “further strengthen the public attributes and correct value orientation of the list”, according to a statement published on the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3296450/chinas-weibo-adjusts-algorithms-improve-public-values-amid-government-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3296450/chinas-weibo-adjusts-algorithms-improve-public-values-amid-government-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jan 2025 11:00:21 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Shanghai is exploring the possibility of allowing businesses in certain areas to bypass the country’s Great Firewall and access internet sites overseas, as Beijing ramps up efforts to attract more foreign investment in 2025. Although China’s rigid internet regulations have kept many foreign platforms, from Google to Facebook, out of reach without using a virtual private network, some jurisdictions – including officially designated “free trade zones” – are trying to poke holes in the firewall to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3296019/shanghai-mulls-plan-bypass-great-firewall-bid-woo-more-foreign-investment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3296019/shanghai-mulls-plan-bypass-great-firewall-bid-woo-more-foreign-investment?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jan 2025 23:00:08 +0000 With Donald Trump back in the Oval Office, TikTok is back online for American users. One intriguing aspect of the TikTok ban saga is that hundreds of thousands of users in the US have migrated to RedNote, the Mandarin-based social media app known as Xiaohongshu in China. For many of these young Americans, gleefully self-styled as TikTok refugees, it was their first direct interaction with mainland Chinese people. This contact is revealing important facts about the state of our world, in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3295538/us-and-china-should-follow-lead-their-youth-bonding-rednote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3295538/us-and-china-should-follow-lead-their-youth-bonding-rednote?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jan 2025 21:30:09 +0000 A lawmaker in China’s financial hub of Shanghai has called for the lifting of strict internet controls in free-trade zones, financial districts and universities to help support AI development and attract foreign investment and talent. Mao Xiangdong, vice-president of the Shanghai Institute of Technology and a member of the standing committee of the municipal people’s congress, proposed the idea during Shanghai’s ongoing legislative sessions, according to a post by China Development News, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3295169/unplug-great-firewall-boost-chinas-competitiveness-shanghai-lawmaker-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3295169/unplug-great-firewall-boost-chinas-competitiveness-shanghai-lawmaker-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jan 2025 07:03:01 +0000 The influx of American “TikTok refugees” onto the Chinese social media app RedNote may feed into some of Beijing’s main talking points, but could also pose a challenge for China’s censors. As of Thursday afternoon, the topic “TikTok refugee” attracted more than 800 million views and 14.7 million discussions as new users, mostly with IP addresses in the United States, started posting on the app. This week RedNote, known in China as Xiaohongshu, or “little red book”, was the most downloaded free... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3295079/why-rednotes-influx-us-tiktok-refugees-could-be-double-edged-sword-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3295079/why-rednotes-influx-us-tiktok-refugees-could-be-double-edged-sword-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jan 2025 12:33:06 +0000 Chinese cadres have been urged to properly manage public opinion online to respond to outcries and ensure social stability. In a social media post on Friday, the publicity branch of the Communist Party in Zhejiang province said “an extreme minority” of officials had been ignoring views expressed online and were instead censoring criticism. “Some cadres avoid solving problems in reality and rely on ‘control’ by cyberspace authorities,” the post said, warning that this would lead to more serious... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3293342/chinese-officials-urged-not-ignore-public-opinion-and-criticism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3293342/chinese-officials-urged-not-ignore-public-opinion-and-criticism?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jan 2025 10:33:58 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan China’s former gymnastics champion Wu Liufang, who caused controversy for releasing provocative dances and whose Douyin account was suspended briefly in November, has been banned again. Wu, 30, received a gag order and was suspended from using the platform, China’s version of TikTok, on December 24 for violating its rules and policies. It is not clear how long the latest ban will last. Her fan base has shrunk from 7 million to 44,000 because the social media platform deemed that 6 million users... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3292324/ex-china-gymnast-suffers-second-social-media-ban-over-sexy-dance-routines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3292324/ex-china-gymnast-suffers-second-social-media-ban-over-sexy-dance-routines?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jan 2025 10:00:10 +0000 Beijing is stepping up its defence of classic literature against AI misuse that it says could undermine and endanger China’s leading ideology. The Chinese government says AI’s “peculiar adaptations” from classic television dramas based on Chinese literature are “highly deceptive”. Like memes, these edited video clips are made largely for laughs and social media traction, and highlight Beijing’s challenges in regulating artificial intelligence. The National Radio and Television Administration... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3290820/ai-crackdown-china-stamps-out-tech-misuse-preserve-national-literature-and-ideology?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3290820/ai-crackdown-china-stamps-out-tech-misuse-preserve-national-literature-and-ideology?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Dec 2024 04:00:14 +0000 Chinese internet regulators have banned controversial ultranationalist blogger Sima Nan from posting on his social media accounts, according to sources. Two sources familiar with the situation told the Post that the ban on the highly controversial Chinese online influencer known for his strong anti-West hot takes was expected to last for a year. Both sources declined to comment on the reason for the ban. “He was banned across the platforms for a year. But I can’t talk about what triggered the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3285839/chinese-internet-censors-ban-anti-west-firebrand-sima-nan-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3285839/chinese-internet-censors-ban-anti-west-firebrand-sima-nan-year?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Nov 2024 02:00:14 +0000 Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of state-owned newspaper Global Times, is back on Chinese social media after more than three months of silence. Hu reappeared on microblogging platform Weibo with a post on Thursday evening that expressed personal delight at a new bridge over the Chaobai River connecting the outskirts of Beijing with neighbouring Hebei province. “I’m very happy and want to open my arms to hug it,” he wrote, adding that he and many other Beijing residents had bought homes on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3284861/chinese-commentator-hu-xijin-returns-social-media-after-more-3-months-silence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3284861/chinese-commentator-hu-xijin-returns-social-media-after-more-3-months-silence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Nov 2024 11:00:51 +0000 Chinese internet regulators are removing social media accounts that use fake information to hype the country’s military strength, including false reports of “cyberwarfare” in the South China Sea. A sample post from June on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, read: “Breaking news: China and the US engaged in 12 hours of cyber warfare, causing Luzon Island in the Philippines to lose all GPS, communication and phone signals!” Another invented post in July featured a video delivering an in-depth... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3284276/china-takes-down-fake-news-about-its-military-closes-social-media-accounts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3284276/china-takes-down-fake-news-about-its-military-closes-social-media-accounts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Oct 2024 08:00:13 +0000 China should cut red tape around international cultural exchanges and relax its internet controls to prevent the worsening of its information “decoupling” from the world, a leading academic said. Wang Wen, dean and professor of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University, noted that China had become a target for criticism by Western countries as Beijing pursued a bigger say in the global narrative. “China has solved the problems of hunger and poverty. Now it’s time to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3282875/confident-china-should-relax-grip-cultural-information-exchange-academic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3282875/confident-china-should-relax-grip-cultural-information-exchange-academic?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Oct 2024 11:00:07 +0000 Zhou Xin Zhou Xin China’s latest stock market rally has quickly turned retail investors’ mood across the country from extremely bearish to very bullish, as domestic social media fans a growing sentiment of FOMO – the fear of missing out – even though another round of volatility could be just down the road. After Beijing on September 24 announced a slew of measures described as the “most significant stimulus package since the early days of the pandemic”, major stock indices on the mainland and in Hong Kong saw... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3281396/chinas-stock-market-frenzy-reflects-social-medias-growing-influence-retail-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3281396/chinas-stock-market-frenzy-reflects-social-medias-growing-influence-retail-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Oct 2024 23:00:13 +0000 The man accused of stabbing a Japanese boy on the way to school in Shenzhen this week has a criminal record and no steady employment, according to police who have released more information about the suspect than is usual in similar cases in China. The suspect, a 44-year-old man surnamed Zhong, was reportedly detained by Dongguan police in 2015 for damaging public telecommunications facilities and released on bail, the state-owned Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported on Friday. The report said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3279346/man-accused-stabbing-japanese-boy-jobless-criminal-record-says-media-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3279346/man-accused-stabbing-japanese-boy-jobless-criminal-record-says-media-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Sep 2024 11:00:19 +0000 Rock ’n’ roll, pop music and the internet are Western vices that can be used to sow the seeds of “colour revolution” among Chinese youth, according to China’s latest college textbook on national security. The textbook, which was officially launched last week, represents the latest move from Beijing to strengthen ideological control and promote national security among young Chinese. The book, National Security Education Readier for College Students, will be used in the foundational course on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3277076/rock-n-roll-internet-are-potential-western-colour-revolution-traps-chinese-textbook?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3277076/rock-n-roll-internet-are-potential-western-colour-revolution-traps-chinese-textbook?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Sep 2024 05:00:39 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The co-publisher of hit Chinese video game Black Myth: Wukong this week sent guidelines to foreign streamers urging them against discussing politically touchy topics like Covid-19 or feminism, players said. Released globally on Tuesday, Black Myth rapidly became one of the most successful Chinese-made games ever, as measured by the number of players on gaming platform Steam. It combines the classic 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West with cutting-edge graphics as gamers step into the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3275530/no-feminist-propaganda-hit-chinese-video-game-grapples-censorship-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3275530/no-feminist-propaganda-hit-chinese-video-game-grapples-censorship-row?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Aug 2024 23:00:12 +0000 Zhou Xin Zhou Xin In a proposed regulation published online for public solicitation last month, China’s Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration outlined in a 16-article document plans for an national identification system that would authenticate the country’s netizens on all internet platforms. But there are worrying signs that public feedback is going unheeded. In accordance with Chinese law, the proposed regulation was published to solicit feedback from the public as a necessary step... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3274158/chinas-censorship-voices-critical-proposed-cyberspace-id-sets-worrying-precedent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3274158/chinas-censorship-voices-critical-proposed-cyberspace-id-sets-worrying-precedent?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Aug 2024 23:00:11 +0000 A prominent Chinese law professor has been silenced on social media after she complained of being attacked online over her vocal objection to plans for a national cybersecurity ID system. The Weibo account of criminal law academic Lao Dongyan from Tsinghua University in Beijing has been muted because she “violated relevant rules” according to a notice on her front page. The ban is understood to be in effect for 90 days. Weibo has also forbidden users from following Lao’s account, giving the same... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3273657/china-mutes-law-professor-social-media-after-cybersecurity-id-plan-criticism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3273657/china-mutes-law-professor-social-media-after-cybersecurity-id-plan-criticism?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Aug 2024 10:00:14 +0000 Video gaming and social media giant Tencent Holdings is testing breaking news alerts on WeChat, as the Chinese super app bolsters its role as a major information platform for its more than 1.2 billion users. The new feature has been made available for testing to a small number of users, some of whom said the breaking news bulletin – mostly from official media outlets on the mainland – can be seen via the app’s subscription account page after a recent system upgrade. The WeChat update was also... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3273435/tencent-beefs-range-content-super-app-wechat-adding-breaking-news-alerts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3273435/tencent-beefs-range-content-super-app-wechat-adding-breaking-news-alerts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Aug 2024 13:00:13 +0000 Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of state-owned newspaper Global Times, has been silent for days on social media since his article interpreting a Communist Party economic strategy document was deleted. In an opinion piece published on his WeChat account on July 22, Hu noted that a resolution endorsed by top leaders during the party’s third plenum last month left out a phrase that had long enshrined the role of the state sector in China’s economy. The outspoken former editor argued that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3272818/chinese-commentator-hu-xijin-silent-social-media-after-third-plenum-article-vanishes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3272818/chinese-commentator-hu-xijin-silent-social-media-after-third-plenum-article-vanishes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Aug 2024 10:00:18 +0000 More than 50 widely used apps in mainland China – including platforms operated by Tencent Holdings, Alibaba Group Holding and ByteDance – are taking part in beta tests for the country’s proposed cyber identity authentication system. The Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration of China last month published the draft regulation for “National Cyber ID Authentication”, as more than 50 apps recently started accepting virtual IDs created under this system for user account... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3272779/chinas-leading-apps-including-wechat-and-taobao-test-proposed-national-cyber-id-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3272779/chinas-leading-apps-including-wechat-and-taobao-test-proposed-national-cyber-id-system?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Aug 2024 09:00:14 +0000 China’s internet watchdog has named and shamed certain agents who were caught offering local access to ChatGPT, as US provider OpenAI blocked use of its artificial intelligence (AI) technologies on the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and other local authorities have meted out punishments to several website operators during the first half of this year for offering unauthorised access to generative AI (GenAI) services, such as ChatGPT, on the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3271751/china-names-and-shames-agents-offering-unauthorised-access-chatgpt-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3271751/china-names-and-shames-agents-offering-unauthorised-access-chatgpt-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:30:11 +0000 Washington needs to fund censorship circumvention tools for Chinese people while also helping them come to the US to study, a bipartisan panel of lawmakers was told on Tuesday. Testifying before the House select committee on China, Xiao Qiang, founder of the UC Berkeley-based China Digital Times, a bilingual media organisation, advocated for congressional funding to develop new circumvention technologies and decentralised artificial intelligence tools to help Chinese people overcome Beijing’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3271618/us-should-fund-ways-help-chinese-get-around-great-firewall-lawmakers-hear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3271618/us-should-fund-ways-help-chinese-get-around-great-firewall-lawmakers-hear?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jul 2024 20:38:37 +0000 China’s top internet watchdog has called on regulators and internet companies to create a “favourable” environment ahead of a crucial Communist Party meeting this month. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) made the call at a national cyberspace meeting held last week, according to a statement released on social media on Tuesday. The meeting came less than a month ahead of the third plenum, a gathering of more than 370 members of the party elite setting out the policy direction to tackle... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3268939/chinas-internet-watchdog-begins-crackdown-ensure-favourable-environment-ahead-major-policy-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3268939/chinas-internet-watchdog-begins-crackdown-ensure-favourable-environment-ahead-major-policy-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jul 2024 06:00:13 +0000 Four Chinese government departments have issued regulations to crack down on cyber violence from its earliest stages, after victims in a number of cases took their own lives. China’s top internet watchdog, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), published regulations aimed at tackling cyberbullying on its website on Friday. The regulations, which were jointly issued by the CAC and the Ministry of Public Security, the National Radio and Television Administration and the Ministry of Culture... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3267211/china-cracks-down-seeds-cyberbullying-after-suicides-linked-online-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3267211/china-cracks-down-seeds-cyberbullying-after-suicides-linked-online-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jun 2024 11:00:14 +0000 China would not tolerate online “smearing” of businesses, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece said in a column, after the internet watchdog shut down a number of social media accounts over dissemination of false and misleading information concerning companies and entrepreneurs. The online attacks on companies, many of which are privately owned, would eventually endanger employment and people’s livelihood, the People’s Daily said on Sunday, in reference to a crackdown on social media accounts by the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3266155/china-hits-out-keyboard-warriors-closes-accounts-rectify-chaos-smearing-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3266155/china-hits-out-keyboard-warriors-closes-accounts-rectify-chaos-smearing-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jun 2024 14:00:10 +0000 Tencent Holdings’ ubiquitous super app, WeChat, is now requiring all creators on the platform to disclose whether a published post was generated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, months after China’s internet regulator cracked down on such “unlabelled and likely misleading” content. “If the content is AI-generated, it must be labelled,” WeChat said on Wednesday via its content-security account, Shanhu – the Chinese word for “coral”. The super app, marketed as Weixin on the mainland,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3265623/tencents-wechat-requires-disclosure-ai-generated-content-combat-misinformation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3265623/tencents-wechat-requires-disclosure-ai-generated-content-combat-misinformation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jun 2024 09:30:16 +0000 Tencent Holdings on Thursday launched an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot app called Yuanbao, as the video gaming and social media giant races to catch up with other Chinese technology companies in developing applications to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Yuanbao can be used to analyse and summarise documents, provide questions and answers, and generate texts and images, similar to the functions of ChatGPT and alternative Chinese AI chatbots. Tencent’s AI assistant was built on the company’s own... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3264763/tencent-launches-yuanbao-ai-assistant-app-internet-giant-moves-close-gap-other-chinese-chatbots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3264763/tencent-launches-yuanbao-ai-assistant-app-internet-giant-moves-close-gap-other-chinese-chatbots?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 May 2024 13:59:10 +0000 Popular e-book piracy site Z-Library pledged not to restrict access to users in mainland China after a message from a local group raised concerns among people in the country who rely on access to one of the largest repositories of illicit literature. “We promise you that we will not restrict mainland Chinese users from visiting our website,” the Z-Library maintainers said in a statement posted to its official Telegram channel on Monday. “All books remain available to Chinese users.” The words of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3261169/pirate-e-book-site-z-library-hit-chinas-great-firewall-bilibili-account-closed-after-rumours-curbed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3261169/pirate-e-book-site-z-library-hit-chinas-great-firewall-bilibili-account-closed-after-rumours-curbed?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 May 2024 09:00:16 +0000 China’s Ministry of Public Security said police around the country have made over 1,500 arrests and solved 10,000 cases since the launch of a campaign targeting online rumours in December. The ministry has imposed administrative penalties on about 10,700 people and debunked more than 4,200 rumours since it launched the campaign last December, according to a Tuesday report by People’s Daily. The numbers were first released on Saturday on the official WeChat account of the ministry’s cybersecurity... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3259183/chinese-police-arrest-over-1500-online-rumours-campaign-targeting-influencers-bloggers-and-live?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3259183/chinese-police-arrest-over-1500-online-rumours-campaign-targeting-influencers-bloggers-and-live?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Apr 2024 08:33:33 +0000 China’s internet regulator has promised to clean up “unlabelled and likely misleading” AI-generated content in its latest campaign, announcing a revised list of “prominent troubling phenomena” to be tackled this year. In a statement on Friday, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) demanded that online platforms “remove accounts that use computer-generated technology for spreading rumours, marketing or hyping”. The country began an internet “clean-up” campaign in 2021. HK$200 million lost... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3255578/china-steps-crackdown-misleading-ai-generated-content-troubling-phenomena?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3255578/china-steps-crackdown-misleading-ai-generated-content-troubling-phenomena?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Mar 2024 10:54:14 +0000 The decision-making body of the Chinese legislature has pledged to this year advance revision of its defence education law, which mandates public awareness and education in support of the military. Zhao Leji, the chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), delivered the committee work report on Friday during the annual meeting of the congress. He highlighted the revision of the National Defence Education Law as one of the legislative tasks of the year, with the aim of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254694/two-sessions-2024-chinas-revision-defence-education-law-aimed-promoting-patriotism-and-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254694/two-sessions-2024-chinas-revision-defence-education-law-aimed-promoting-patriotism-and-support?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 11:00:34 +0000