It’s time to clean up the Internet, that’s what China wants anyway. China’s cyberspace regulator is today launching a campaign for a “clean cyberspace”. It will last a month.
China wants to clean up the internet its own way
China’s Cyberspace Administration (ACC) said it will monitor content platforms and advertisements as Lunar New Year festivities begin. Its objective is to “Rectify the mess on the Internet, stem the spread of an unhealthy culture” in order to “to create a healthy, festive and harmonious online environment for Internet users, especially minors”, during the Lunar New Year festivities.
China launched its first crackdown on China’s burgeoning entertainment industry last summer, targeting the behavior of celebrities and their most ardent followers. The country indicated at the time that this increased surveillance would continue, in a context of reinforced control and repression of the activities of the technological giants.
The ACC has indicated that it will focus during the month of “clean cyberspace” on online harassment and the spreading of rumours, but also on behavior that could be seen as promoting luxurious lifestyles and encouraging the cult of money or superstition.
