Chinese government rings in the new year with a six-month cyber crackdown

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The new year has just begun, but Chinese censors are already working hard.

This month, China’s cyber watchdog has kicked off a six-month internet crackdown. Websites, online forums, instant messengers, and livestreaming platforms are being scrutinized for negative and harmful content. That includes pornography, violence, rumors, spoofs, superstitions, and other inappropriate topics.

(That may sound like many of the things you run into on the internet every day. But don’t forget that in China many globally popular websites like Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and YouTube are banned.)

The operation got off to a roaring start, with big names Baidu and Sohu first on the hit list. Representatives from both companies were summoned for talks with Beijing’s cyberspace regulators last week and scolded for spreading vulgar content. Several of their news feeds were suspended for a week.

To put that into context, imagine if Google were asked to take down parts of its news section. That’s basically what happened here.

Late last year, more than 9,800 accounts on WeChat and Weibo were shuttered for causing “chaos” on the internet. Another 110,000 social media accounts were axed during the winter holiday season.

Authorities left a warning: for the first time ever, they said strict control over social media accounts will become the new norm.

The focus appears to have turned towards individuals more often than before – and content platforms have resorted to self-censorship to avoid provoking the government.

In a high-profile case in October, an internet celebrity saw her livestreaming account suspended after she broadcasted herself singing the national anthem in what was deemed a disrespectful way. She was later detained by the police for five days.