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Beijing [China]Dec 23 (ANI): Following nationwide mass public protests over Covid lockdowns and new outbreaks of anti-government views and posts, China has issued new guidelines on censoring online comments and ‘likes’, writes Thursday Dao at the Indo-Pacific Strategic Communications Center (IPCSC).
Thu, a Hanoi-based journalist who previously worked as a content manager and strategist at Tuoi Tre’s foreign affairs news station, said liking any social media post would also be considered a comment under the latest guidelines .
The idea is that even a compliment on someone else’s post or comment is enough to hold someone accountable and take punitive measures against that person.
Recently, Chinese social media platforms have been found to be saturated with anti-government views. A severe crackdown ensued, not only in the physical sphere but also on the Internet.
The Great Firewall and censorship moved quickly to curb the spread of views unfavorable to the Chinese establishment. The aim, of course, is to stop any anti-government stories from spreading, which could anger the establishment, Thu said.
For anyone engaging in any social media activity that could even be viewed as anti-government, the implications are severe many times.
According to the IPCSC, people are detained, arrested and threatened by local public security bureaus simply by posting comments on social media, which is the most commonly used intimidation tool by Chinese authorities.
The Cyberspace Administration of China, the government agency responsible for overseeing, controlling and censoring all communications on social media platforms and the internet at large, has released new guidelines, which will take effect on December 15, 2022, replacing the previous 2017 edition.
Any internet site or application that has the property of promoting public opinion or mobilizing people to abide by these guidelines, Thu said.
The convenience can be in any form, including comments, replies, messages, barrage, likes, etc., and can provide users with text, symbols, emoticons, pictures, and audio and video information services.
The new regulations also focus on establishing and improving the information security management system, better and stricter management of posting comments, supplemented by real-time inspection and emergency response.
The goal is to promptly “detect and act” on any information they may deem “illegal and unhealthy”. Report to the Ministry of Internet Information and IPCSC when necessary.
“If not the government’s fear, what do these actions reflect? The government has been trying to create the impression that the public is simply frustrated with the harsh Covid-related lockdowns and now that the restrictions have been eased, at least on paper, there is no reason to cause further concern. Public discontent,” Thu said.
However, the strategy is most likely to give people some hope that the government may take further action to address their grievances. What the government doesn’t realize is that it cannot satisfy people’s desire for more freedom and civil liberties by introducing further regulations to limit their speech, Thu said.
The government has accused suspected “foreign forces” of being behind various protests across China, and has used that argument to further tighten the crackdown.
Thursday said the establishment needs to understand that these excuses no longer serve the people. (Arnie)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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