China plans to review every single social media comment, sparking more censorship fears
- China’s internet watchdog has proposed that social platforms review all user comments before publishing
- The draft also proposes for the first time that the person who uploads a post is also responsible for the comments made by others
China’s internet users have expressed concerns that the limited space for free speech in the country will be further eroded if a proposed regulation that requires internet platforms to review every social media comment is passed.
Authorities are soliciting public feedback on the proposal until July 1, but it has already fanned concerns that the regulation would add to the cost of operations for Chinese tech companies and further restrict what internet users can post online.
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How China censors the internet
The draft rule is an update to the existing censorship mechanism in online content regulations, and it is likely designed to strengthen the review for comments, although it will not be able to immediately catch all offending comments, according to Vincent Brussee, an analyst at the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies.
“Comments are an increasingly popular feature, and the regulations – now over five years old – have to keep up with the times,” he said, adding that it is not surprising to see Beijing move to tighten censorship in this area amid intensified efforts to control the internet in recent years.
