China has rolled out a two-month clean-up campaign on social media to banish pernicious content and tighten digital censorship.
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) stated that platforms should assume more responsibility for moderation and deletion of such unhealthy or subversive content.
Regulators will be aiming at explicit, pornographic, polarizing, and inimical content that has the potential to harm social harmony or encourage bad attitudes online.
This comes after punishment for platforms such as Weibo and Kuaishou for not being able to control content and spreading celebrity-led news.
On September 11, regulators targeted Xiaohongshu (Rednote), a popular youth app, for spreading unwanted content.
Authorities confirmed stricter enforcement during the two-month campaign, though they have not yet determined the punishment for the three platforms.
The crackdown aims to curb online conflict, malicious stories, and glorification of violence, according to the CAC statement.
Authorities cautioned against exploiting delicate issues, such as identity, gender, or region, for the purpose of fomenting division and stigmatizing social groups.
Gossip relating to China’s economy, finance, welfare, or policy will also be off-limits under the social media crackdown.
Weibo previously dissuaded users from posting extremely pessimistic opinions on China’s economic status in late 2023.
The CAC also cautioned against sensationalizing negative instances and promoting destructive lifestyles such as “lying flat” or “letting it rot.”
Authorities assert that the campaign is designed to encourage a civilized, rational cyberspace and reinforce China’s strict digital governance regime.
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