China’s cyberspace regulator cracks down on fake social media accounts
The government implements strict measures to remove internet content and language that it considers unsuitable, offensive, or harmful to the public and businesses
China’s cyberspace regulator has recently closed over 100,000 online accounts that were spreading false news and rumours about news anchors and media agencies to ‘clean up the internet’. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has started a campaign to sieve out social media accounts that pretend to be state-controlled media and spread ‘fake news’.
The CAC discovered accounts that utilised AI to imitate ‘authoritative’ news media and create fake news studios and presenters to mislead the public. The regulator has deleted 107,000 accounts and 835,000 pieces of fake news from counterfeit news units and anchors since 6 April.
The regulator asserted that it would provide guidance to online platforms in order to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the majority of internet users to get accurate news. The regulator also encourages users to report fake news and news anchors by providing leads.
The government implements strict measures to remove internet content and language that it considers unsuitable, offensive, or harmful to the public and businesses. Such a crackdown can be contextualised as a larger part of a global effort to combat the spread of fake news, with many countries implementing laws to punish those who spread it.
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