Chinese regulator starts major ‘cleanup’ reactions on the internet

The Chinese authorities want to carry out a major clean-up of the comment sections of websites against ‘harmful information’. In addition, the internet supervisor in the country wants internet users to be able to pass on harmful information more easily.

China’s internet regulator is said to have issued a statement to this effect on Tuesday, according to Reuters. The action against the comments on the internet was motivated by ‘problems’ according to the authorities, but Reuters does not clarify what problems there were.

The site does quote the head of the watchdog, Ren Xianliang. “We want to proactively promote a healthy, positive internet culture and ensure that developed comments, rational postings and responses with good intentions become daily practice on the internet.”

In addition, media should not engage in click-bait and have a system to monitor comments on sites. China is regularly in the news because of censorship and its restrictive internet policies. The best-known example of this is the Great Firewall of China, which keeps unwanted information from foreign sites at bay.