Netizens in China may be liable for liking posts related to the Zero Covid protocol, which authorities consider illegal and harmful to the country. It raised concerns that the world’s second-largest economy plans to strictly regulate social media for the first time.
On November 30, 2022, CNN news agency reported that China’s internet watchdog has increased its rules on internet use. This has angered the public over the country’s stricter COVID restrictions.
The new regulations will come into effect on December 15, 2020. The new guidelines, in part, have been published by the Ministry of Cyberspace of China (CAC) since the beginning of November.
The CAC operates under the head of the Central Committee for Cyberspace Affairs. Xi Jinping a chair
The new regulation has caught the eye of Chinese netizens in the past few days after it was announced. The greater the flow of the discontent of the people. and has spread across the country like never before While in the last few weeks thousands of people in Beijing, Shanghai and more than a dozen cities have protested to demand an end to the strict restrictions of COVID-19. and calls for political freedom
In fact, this regulation was updated from the old regulation in 2017 and the difference is This is the first time that “likes”, including comments on any post, have been declared to be granted permission. And every account in the online world (User of the account) must be verified in every case.
However, this regulation does not specify what type of content is considered illegal or dangerous.
many opinions from scholars
David Zweig, professor emeritus at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, told CNN, referring to a Chinese expression that How could one spark light a much bigger fire?
Announcing the enforcement of this regulation was like lighting a fire. But the Chinese Communist Party will likely come under fire in the wake of public protests against the announcement.
Joseph Cheng, a retired political science professor at the City University of Hong Kong, said analysts The new rules are a sign that officials are cracking down on the dispute.
Authorities are very concerned about the limitation of the protests that have taken place in recent weeks. And now the method of control is to stop the communication of the protestors.
Isaac Stone Fish, Founder and CEO of Strategy Risks China said:
It is important to note that after the Chinese protests, China’s efforts to control the online world are likely to become more aggressive. The main factor is likely to depend on the spread of the protests.
Chongyi Feng, Associate Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Technology Sydney said it looked very contradictory. Although the Chinese people want to express their dissatisfaction. and the authorities want to hold him back
China’s control of the online world is unpredictable. But the online expression of brave Chinese citizens cannot be banned either.
in recent years China has increased screening on social media and online platforms. And this year, the country’s strict implementation of the country’s loose COVID-19 policy and Xi Jinping’s third term as president have sparked anger among many social media users.
new regulations
According to the publication of the new regulations Information about all online account holders, including ID card numbers. mobile phone number Computer serial number or IP Address must be verified. to confirm their true identity Then you can comment or like the post.
all online platforms A rating system must be developed for service users by measuring the content of the comments posted or the number of people who like them. If an account with a low rating is rated Untrusted, A must be blocked and banned from using the platform or registering a new account anymore.
In addition, all online platforms must install the unit Review and correction team Be yours, monitor, report, or delete content in real time. especially News comments must be moderated before they can appear online.
source: CNN
