As part of a campaign that began in April, Chinese police reportedly took down 34,000 internet accounts and fined over 6,300 people for allegedly spreading rumors, according to official media on Friday.
The Communist Party, which controls a large portion of the Chinese internet, frequently uses widespread social media censorship to stifle critical or bad news coverage in the interest of maintaining social order.
State broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday that police had “severely cracked down on illegal and criminal activities such as fabricating false information about police, epidemics, dangers and disasters.”
“So far, public security organs across the country have investigated more than 4,800 online rumour cases, investigated and handled in accordance to the law more than 6,300 people who spread rumours, and shut down 34,000 illegal accounts,” CCTV said, without specifying the type of accounts targeted.
Following the start of the “Clean Net” operation in April, authorities allegedly removed 27,000 pieces of material and blocked over 500 social media accounts for cyberbullying, according to CCTV.
CCTV reports that police have declared 2024 as “a year of special action to combat online rumours.”