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China's Provinces at Forefront of Online Censorship Enforcement

Athiyah Azeem

   China's provincial government bodies are at the forefront of a massive
   online censorship campaign of unprecedented scope.

   Two months after Beijing enacted a law effectively barring people from
   posting negative content online, state-run regional news outlets,
   internet providers and social media platforms are working
   interdependently to snuff out "rumors" online.

   Announced in December, the [1]Provisions on the Governance of the
   Online Information Content Ecosystem, which was implemented March 1,
   aims to "create a positive online ecosystem" and "preserve national
   security and the public interest."

   By grouping online content into three categories -- "Encouraged,"
   "Negative" and "Illegal" -- the law criminalizes "dissemination of
   rumors," "disrupting economic or social order" and anything that
   "destroys national unity."

   Some observers, however, say the law's vaguely defined criteria for
   "rumor-mongering" could be exploited to suppress reporting about
   COVID-19, which has already led to arrests and disappearances of
   multiple [2]citizen journalists and [3]whistleblowers.

   "These 'rumors' tend to be [considered anything perceived as] very
   negative [toward] the government," said Dr. Lauri Paltemaa, an East
   Asian Studies professor at the University of Turku in Finland.

   "Many of these implicate the Chinese government, the military, as the
   black hand behind the [COVID-19] crisis," he added.

References

   1. https://bit.ly/2WeIXxu
   2. https://bit.ly/3aTjbUJ
   3. https://bit.ly/3f8d1TW

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