Chinese President Xi Jinping announced on Saturday that his government would “resolutely crack down” on online misconduct and establish a “clean” national cyberspace, state media reported, following penalties imposed recently on several prominent social media companies for hosting unacceptable content. Consequently, Beijing requires social media platforms to strictly moderate all posts, thus preventing the circulation of material deemed subversive, vulgar, pornographic, or generally harmful.
Regulators Target Tech Giants
In September, China’s top internet regulator announced it will take action against ByteDance-owned Jinri Toutiao news app and Alibaba’s UCWeb internet browser company for allegedly displaying harmful material.
Furthermore, the powerful Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) launched a focused two-month campaign during the same month to further tighten control. This CAC initiative aimed “to regulate the malicious incitement of conflict and the promotion of violence and vicious currents” across major social media platforms nationwide.
The CAC also penalized three other popular digital platforms in September, stating they neglected their mandatory content management duties. These companies included the micro-blogging platform Weibo, the short video app Kuaishou, and the Instagram-like social service Xiaohongshu.
At that time, the CAC stated that these measures would specifically include “summonses for interviews, injunctions to correct breaches within a specified period, warnings and strict sanctions against those responsible.” The regulator did not offer any further specific details about the nature of these punitive actions.
Xi Pledges to ‘Draw the Sword’ Against Digital Chaos
State news agency Xinhua quoted President Xi on Saturday, confirming his commitment to cultivating “a clean and upright cyberspace” following a communist party meeting held Friday.
Xi asserted that this online misconduct “pollutes social ethos,” although Xinhua did not provide details regarding the specific content the president referenced. Addressing the party meeting, he delivered a strong warning, “We must dare to draw the sword, resolutely crack down on such behaviour, sever the profit and industry chains behind it, and eliminate the soil and conditions that allow it to grow.”
Subsequently, Xi Jinping emphasized that “governing the online ecosystem is an important task in building China into a cyber power,” the Xinhua report noted. Therefore, he stressed, “It bears on the country’s development and security, as well as the vital interests of the people.”
