China Social Media Crackdown: 6 Arrested, 16 Websites Closed

[polly7]

China Social Media Crackdown: 6 Arrested, 16 Websites Closed
Posted 2 April 2012 7:02 GMT

Written by: Violeta Camarasa

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/04/02/china-cracks-down-on-social-media-6-arrested-and-16-websites-closed/

News spread through the Chinese Internet as the country woke up to the following on Saturday, March 31, 2012: six people had been arrested and 16 websites closed for “fabricating or disseminating online rumors,” according to China's National Internet Information Office (SIIO) and Beijing police, as official news agency Xinhua reported.

The same report stated that popular Twitter-like microblogging sites Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo, where the so-called rumours appeared, had been “criticized and punished accordingly”. What the punishment consists of, there is no way to know, but Chinese netizens soon noticed the results: the two microblogging sites banned users from posting comments from Saturday, March 31, to Tuesday, April 3.

China puts a gag on social media and makes arrests for coup rumors

http://www.ministryoftofu.com/2012/03/china-puts-a-gag-on-social-media-and-makes-arrests-for-coup-rumors/

March 31, 2012Jing Gao6 CommentsBo Xilai, Chongqing, coup, Internet censorship, Jeremy Goldkorn, online rumor mill, Pan Shiyi, Politburo, rumors, sensitive words, SOHO China Limited, Tencent Weibo, Wang Lijun

".....On the morning of March 31, Sina Weibo users who tried to leave comments received an error message from the system,

“To all Weibo users, recently, comments left by microbloggers have started to contain much illegal and detrimental information, including rumors. In an effort to clean them up in one stroke, commenting function of Sina Weibo will be temporarily disabled from 8 a.m. March 31 to 8 a.m. April 3. After the clean-up, we will reopen comments section. Necessary clean-up of information is conducive to providing everyone a better communicating atmosphere. We expect your understanding and consideration. Thank your for your support.”

Tencent Weibo has a similar announcement on its website. But both microblogging services have kept their post and repost function intact.

[LetTimmySmoke]

1. Coming soon to an America near you.

The bought Congress would love to "regulate" social media in the same way here in the U.S.