China launching campaign to curb news sites' social media accounts
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HONG KONG • China's top Internet watchdog will launch a new campaign to crack down on the social media accounts of independent news providers, it said yesterday.
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) will target commercial websites and social media accounts that illegally write and edit news items, and repost news articles from non-compliant sources, the CAC said in a statement on its website. It would also deal with clickbait stories, misinformation, and other sensationalised online content, it added.
The CAC said it would regulate online forums and live-streamed lectures, and push media sites to propagate more "positive energy".
China's strict online censorship rules have been tightened in recent years with new legislation to restrict media outlets, surveillance measures for media sites and rolling campaigns to remove content deemed unacceptable.
Last month, the CAC penalised several of the country's leading live-streaming and video platforms for spreading "low taste" content such as women wearing low-cut clothes and men using foul language.
REUTERS
