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Chinese review platform Douban suspends reply function amid Beijing’s crackdown on social media
- Douban cited ‘technical reasons’ for suspending its reply function until September 13
- The platform has become a popular online meeting place for users to discuss the latest gossip and updates in China’s entertainment industry
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Chinese social media platform Douban, known for its community of liberal bookworms and film fanatics, has suspended its reply function for a week for “technical reasons”, raising speculation that the service had done so in response to Beijing’s sweeping crackdown on the country’s social networks, online fan clubs and entertainment industry.
Users of Douban will not be able to reply to any posts and articles on the platform until September 13, according to a notice that pops up whenever users try to reply to a published post. The platform has become a popular online meeting place for users to discuss the latest gossip and updates in China’s entertainment industry.
Douban did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
In April, at least eight Chinese feminist channels on Douban were abruptly closed, triggering online anger and prompting calls for women to “stick together”.
Douban’s latest move has triggered a backlash online, with the suspension of its reply function becoming a trending topic on other social media platforms. As of Tuesday morning, the topic has been viewed more than 86 million times on Chinese microblogging service Weibo.
Speculation has been rife that Douban was taking action to align with rectification efforts in the social media and entertainment industries. “Those entertainment groups need to be rectified for good,” a Weibo user posted.
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