Coronavirus: China tightens social media censorship amid outbreak
- The move follows President Xi Jinping’s directive to strengthen online media control to maintain social stability amid the coronavirus crisis
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said in a statement released late on Wednesday that it has set up supervision on platforms that include those run by microblogging service provider Sina Weibo, short video and news apps operator ByteDance, and Tencent Holdings, which owns the ubiquitous multipurpose app WeChat.
The regulator said it required internet platforms and local authorities to “create a good cyberspace environment to win the battle against the [coronavirus] epidemic”.
Baidu, operator of China’s dominant online search service, has been summoned to rectify what the CAC described as lenient management on illegal information posted by its users, according to the statement.
The watchdog said it has also removed a social app called Pipi Gaoxiao from app stores for “posting harmful videos, and spreading fear and panic” about the coronavirus outbreak, as well as taken down some media and blogger accounts for fake news.
Representatives from Sina Weibo and ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Tencent and Baidu declined to comment.