How WeChat Censored the Coronavirus Pandemic (wired.com) 34
In China, the messaging platform blocked thousands of keywords related to the virus, a new report reveals. From a report: When the novel coronavirus was first discovered in China last winter, the country responded aggressively, placing tens of millions of people into strict lockdown. As Covid-19 spread from Wuhan to the rest of the world, the Chinese government was just as forceful in controlling how the health crisis was portrayed and discussed among its own people. Politically sensitive material, like references to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, have long been forbidden on China's highly censored internet, but researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab say these efforts reached a new level during the pandemic. "The blunt range of censored content goes beyond what we expected, including general health information such as the fact [that] the virus spreads from human contact," says Masashi Crete-Nishihata, the associate director of Citizen Lab, a research group that focuses on technology and human rights.
Citizen Lab's latest report, published earlier this week, finds that between January and May this year, more than 2,000 keywords related to the pandemic were suppressed on the Chinese messaging platform WeChat, which has more than 1 billion users in the country. Many of the censored terms referenced events and organizations in the United States. Unlike in the US, internet platforms in China are responsible for carrying out the government's censorship orders and can be held liable for what their users post. Tencent, which owns WeChat, did not comment in time for publication. WeChat blocks content via a remote server, meaning it's not possible for research groups like Citizen Lab to study censorship on the app by looking at its code. "We can send messages through the server and see if they are received or not, but we can't see inside of it, so the exact censorship rules are a bit of a mystery," Crete-Nishihata says.
Citizen Lab's latest report, published earlier this week, finds that between January and May this year, more than 2,000 keywords related to the pandemic were suppressed on the Chinese messaging platform WeChat, which has more than 1 billion users in the country. Many of the censored terms referenced events and organizations in the United States. Unlike in the US, internet platforms in China are responsible for carrying out the government's censorship orders and can be held liable for what their users post. Tencent, which owns WeChat, did not comment in time for publication. WeChat blocks content via a remote server, meaning it's not possible for research groups like Citizen Lab to study censorship on the app by looking at its code. "We can send messages through the server and see if they are received or not, but we can't see inside of it, so the exact censorship rules are a bit of a mystery," Crete-Nishihata says.
inb4 orange man bad (Score:1, Troll)
I look forward with buttery popcorn fingers on the imminent deluge of "America worse" or "orange man bad" comments.
Can't talk about how crap China is without some using it as an excuse to voice their 2 minutes of hate. I mea, yea censorship of a pandemic is bad but did you see Trumps tweet last night? That's the real crime. Using all caps. Pssh... what a noob.
Re:inb4 orange man bad (Score:4, Insightful)
PC culture is bad. You don't have to censor when people are already afraid to say anything.
Re:inb4 orange man bad (Score:4, Insightful)
PC culture is bad. You don't have to censor when people are already afraid to say anything.
Censorship is bad. But what's worse is surveillance and punishments like social score reductions or worse. It's the surveillance and fear of the ensuing consequences that leads to self-censorship.
Re: (Score:1, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
The irony....
China is back open for business - Why not the USA? (Score:2, Informative)
January 20: "I know more about viruses than anyone."
January 22: "We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China. It's going to be just fine."
February 2: "We pretty much shut it down coming in from China."
February 24: "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA... Stock Market starting to look very good to me!"
February 25: "CDC and my Administration are doing a GREAT job of handling Coronavirus."
February 25: "I think that's a problem that's going to go away... They have stu
It didn't work (Score:2)
Wait (Score:2)
Are you saying a Chinese form of media or communication was censored?
Who woulda thunk
Let's have some context (Score:4, Insightful)
The Chinese Communist Party - CCP almost fell with the events of the Tiananmen Square. They watched most other communist countries fall at the same time right before them. The infamous tank man photo was taken during this event and smuggled past Chinese censors.
The lesson the CCP learned was that their very survival depended on censorship so as to ensure that another mass protest could never happen again. The CCP has no higher priority than their own survival. Therefore the CCP places censorship above everything.
It should not surprise anyone that the great firewall and their censorship programs are so sophisticated. The CCP has literally spent billions of dollar on building them out. Unfortunately they have started to extend their censorship to the rest of the world with startling effective results. If you want to do business in China you must self censor.
They have also heavily invested in the entertainment and media industry in the United States. The result has been that media companies have been very reluctant to criticize China in any way.
Notably the CCP attitude on censorship extends to normalizing censorship as being socially acceptable and necessary for social stability. Applications like WeChat allow you to erase your own content so as to censor it.
Re: (Score:2)
Notably the CCP attitude on censorship extends to normalizing censorship as being socially acceptable
I thought that could never happen in the USA but it didn't take long.
No fake news in China (Score:2)
We have this terrible problem of fake news on Facebook. Most people agree that Facebook needs to stop people saying the wrong things.
The Chinese have largely solved this terrible problem. Their government looks after them. Keeps them safe on the internet.
Its the final count down (Score:2)
Election depends on Vaccine (Score:2)
If a vaccine is developed to late stage trials before November (50% likely) then Covid-19 will be forgotten and Trump will win.
Otherwise, unless Biden falls asleep, Trump will lose.
So who wins has very little to do with what the politicians actually do. Just events outside their control.
Which is better/worse... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Govts. gotta find better ways to manage information during a pandemic.
They have to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Until then, all bets are off.
Re: (Score:2)
Govts. gotta find better ways to manage information during a pandemic.
They have to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Until then, all bets are off.
Agreed. But that's not the point I was making. Both China & the USA have the problem of dealing with false & misleading information from elsewhere. In China, they censor (& I'm not saying that they don't censor for other reasons too). In the USA, they leave it up to Facebook & Twitter to "self-regulate." The problem with self-regulation is that corporations, whichever country they're in, follow profits. If it's more profitable to sow discord with misinformation, they'll allow it & maybe
Not to worry, the U.S. media is as bad (Score:1)
moar anti-china article please (Score:1)