Cyberspace cleanup targets rumormongering accounts

Some 66,600 closed as authorities take strict stance against fake professionals

China has permanently closed 66,600 individual media accounts on social media and online in the past two months as part of a special campaign to crack down on rumormongering, imposture and illegal for-profit activities, the Cyberspace Administration of China said on Saturday.

In the latest move to create a healthier internet ecosystem in China, cyberspace administrative agencies have been carrying out a special campaign targeting individual media since March 10.

By May 22, more than 1.4 million items of illegal content on popular social media platforms like Sina Weibo, WeChat and Douyin had been removed, and over 927,600 accounts had been dealt with, the CAC said in a statement.

During the campaign, some individual media account operators were found to have made up rumors about trending topics to attract views. A total of 7,541 accounts have been permanently closed for rumormongering or for spreading rumors, according to the statement.

A total of 279,600 accounts have been penalized for deliberately using the faked identities of government organs, military organizations and news agencies. Authorities have also targeted accounts with terms such as "teacher", "lawyer" or "doctor" in their name, when account operators aren't certified professionals.

Some accounts have been found taking advantage of vulnerable groups, including the elderly, people with disabilities and minors, in the pursuit of financial gain.

Some of the violations detected have been transferred to the police for further investigation.

The statement said authorities will take a strict approach in punishing both violators and platform operators who have failed to perform due supervision.

The latest campaign is part of "Operation Qinglang" ("clear and bright" in Chinese), which was launched by the CAC in 2021. Its aim is to create a better internet ecosystem.

A series of special campaigns to clean up cyberspace will continue into 2023 to rectify nine issues that have harmed the online experience of Chinese netizens, including the disorder in individual media, information manipulation by paid internet trolls and undue attacks against private companies, the CAC said at a news conference in March.

The authority requires internet and social media platforms to devise stricter and more detailed regulations governing the registration, operation and closure of individual media accounts, especially those posting about medicine, law and education.