China’s leaders ordered stricter controls over social media websites and clamp downs on internet “rumors.” After attending a three-day government workshop, nearly 40 internet firms, including Alibaba, Baidu, and Sina, have vowed to stop the spread of “harmful” information. AFP reports:
During the discussion, which ended Saturday, the bosses reached a “common agreement” to “safeguard” the spreading of positive information online and “strengthen self-management and self-discipline”, the report said.
They also agreed to “resolutely curb Internet rumours, Internet pornography, Internet fraud and the illegal spread of harmful information” to develop the web into a “positive and beautiful spiritual home”.
Communist Party chiefs made the call in a list of “cultural development guidelines”, which analysts said were designed to strengthen the government’s control of the web and make state-run media more competitive.
See also: 50 Microblogs Shuttered as Web Crackdown Continues and China Detains Three for Rumor-Mongering via CDT.
