Chinese influencers gagged by CCP

中國影響者被中共束縛

Beijing is imposing fresh speech control limits as CCP celebrates centennial in 2021


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese we-media operators and influencers are being prohibited from spreading information related to “serious subjects” such as politics, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tightens its grip on freedom of speech.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) set out its objective in a Jan. 29 meeting to direct online information dissemination into “positive territory” during 2021, the year that marks the centenary of the CCP’s founding. A clampdown on self-media violations will be a focus of the campaign, according to the CAC.

Many we-media and public figures on social media have recently received notices asking them to acquire a permit before posting news or content spanning political, economic, military, and diplomatic affairs, as well as breaking news about major incidents, reported Hong Kong-based Sing Tao Daily.

The notice has been released by platforms including WeChat, Sohu, and Baijiahao. Posts and comments about these topics will risk censorship if they are from accounts without approved backgrounds, the notice warned.

Ma Xiaolin (馬曉霖), professor at Zhejiang International Studies University, lamented last Friday that he had been notified by Weibo customer services about the ban, according to Sing Tao Daily. As an international studies expert, he said he may need to adjust to the role of an online celebrity with posts of a recreational nature.

As part of the effort to rein in freedom of speech, the National Press and Publication Administration issued a directive earlier this month to forbid journalists and individuals working in the media from reporting on independently operated social media accounts or websites.