China - 2 Major Microblogging sites suspended comments after punishment for allowing rumours to spread

[sharon sanders]

More government censorship.......

China's major microblogs suspend comment function to 'clean up rumors'
(Xinhua)
10:40, March 31, 2012

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Two major Chinese microblogging sites, weibo.com and t.qq.com, have suspended comment functions after they were punished for allowing rumors to spread.

more..

Zhttp://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/7775525.html

 

[hawkeye]

Re: China - 2 Major Microblogging sites suspended comments after punishment for allowing rumours to spread

China arrests over coup rumours
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-17570005

Chinese police have arrested six people and shut 16 websites after rumours were spread that military vehicles were on the streets of Beijing, officials say.

The web posts were picked up last week by media outlets around the world, amid uncertainty caused by the ouster of top political leader Bo Xilai.

The State Internet Information Office (SIIO) said the rumours had a "very bad influence on the public".

Two popular microblogs have temporarily stopped users from posting comments.

The two sites, Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo, are still letting people post to their own sites. But they said commenting on other people's posts would be disabled between 31 March and 3 April, so they "could act to stop the spread of rumours".

A spokesman for the SIIO told state news agency Xinhua earlier that the two websites had been "criticised and punished accordingly".

He added that that a number of other people had been "admonished or educated"

 

[Emily]

Re: China - 2 Major Microblogging sites suspended comments after punishment for allowing rumours to spread

Censorship creates jobs but might have a negative public health impact via stress:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304750404577319380394632876.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

ASIA NEWS
Updated April 2, 2012, 11:00 p.m. ET

China Eases Crackdown on Internet
Restrictions on Microblogging Sites Sparked an Angry Backlash but Showed Beijing's Will to Control Flow of Information

[snip]
The companies don't disclose specifics, but analysts estimate that they each employ hundreds of people to filter online comment. Any increase in that effort will intensify the cat-and-mouse game they play with online government critics, who use code words and nicknames to get around the corporate censors.

[snip]
"Not being able to comment on Weibo is as painful as constipation?you want to talk but you can't," a Sina Weibo user who goes by the name Han wrote.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: China - 2 Major Microblogging sites suspended comments after punishment for allowing rumours to spread

Source: http://www.itv.com/news/2012-04-05/china-moves-to-quash-outbreak-of-rumours/

China moves to quash outbreak of rumours
- last updated Thu 5 Apr 2012

The Chinese Government has launched a wide-ranging crackdown on social media in an attempt to quash rumours of a coup once and for all...