Communist China proves that authoritarianism and censorship go together like champagne and doggie style
BEIJING: China is raising the cash rewards paid to citizens for reporting pornographic and “illegal” publications to authorities, government regulators have announced.
Starting Dec 1, people can rake in up to 600,000 yuan (RM362,160) for reporting illegal content, online or otherwise, double the 300,000 yuan (RM181,000) under previous guidelines.
The legal power of the Communist Party is guaranteed by the PRC Constitution and its position as the supreme political authority in the PRC is realised through its comprehensive control of the state, military, and media.
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What counts as “illegal” content in China is broadly defined, but includes work that “endangers national unity”, “leaks state secrets”, and “disturbs social order” – umbrella terms that are also sometimes used when authorities punish or silence Chinese dissidents and rights campaigners.
The new rules, published by a bureau under the top media regulator, come as Beijing ramps up controls on content.
Earlier this week, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced to the local and international media that it had already “cleaned up” 9,800 accounts on Chinese social media platforms which it accused of spreading “politically harmful” information and rumours.
The Internet regulator also chastised popular social media platforms WeChat and Weibo for negligence and “irresponsibility”.
And on Thursday, CAC published new rules requiring online platforms to save a plethora of user data, including chat logs, network addresses, and device type, by the end of the month.
The information would be included in “security assessment reports” – which police and CAC can request from platforms as needed.
The new requirements are part of CAC’s efforts to tighten control over sites that influence public opinion, such as chat groups, blogs, and Twitter-like Weibo, which was forced to roll out real-name registration in 2012.
Oversight of social media has ramped up in recent years as part of the government’s push to “promote the healthy, orderly development of the Internet, protect state security and public interest”. — AFP
2 Responses
China is a scary place. They sent 1,000,000 muslims to prison camps for re-education.
Karma, I won’t be going to China, either. My mouth would get me tortured and executed there. There was another article on here recently where porn has been completely banned in China, likely anyone involved in porn would be arrested, tortured and executed. If you make a derisive remark about a Communist Party member you are immediately arrested, tortured and likely executed. If (as an American) I ventured into the wrong part of the country I would be arrested and tortured. Fuck China and may The Donald (who will unfortunately be almost as bad when he becomes Dictator in Chief here in the States) blow Beijing right off of the map! I would rather go to Iraq and deal with musslime terrorists than go to China right now (and I don’t wish to do either)! Hop Sing can go to China and get arrested, tortured and executed, though.