Cyberspace body criticizes platforms for harming online environment

China's internet regulator has taken action against social media giants Weibo and Kuaishou for not properly managing their content. Both platforms have been criticized for allowing too much celebrity gossip and trivial content to dominate their trending lists, which harms the online environment, according to official announcements on Saturday.

Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, has not fulfilled the responsibility of managing its content and has been featuring excessive celebrity-related content at the top of its trending topics, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in a statement on Saturday.

In response, the administration directed Beijing's cyberspace office to address these issues. Weibo has been given a warning and ordered to fix the problems within a set time frame, with strict measures to hold those responsible accountable.

In another post by the administration on the same day, Kuaishou, a video-sharing platform, faced similar criticism for its lack of content management, with its trending lists also filled with celebrity gossip and minor topics. The platform has been accused of encouraging too much entertainment content. The administration has imposed similar corrective actions on Kuaishou through the Beijing office.

These actions are based on the regulations on the governance of online information, effective from March 2020, as part of China's efforts to regulate the internet and encourage a healthier online space.

To create a safer online space, cybersecurity teams across China have cracked down on several rumor sources online recently. Among them, by Tuesday, the Tianjin public security bureau had investigated 11 cases of online rumors and removed 898 pieces of false information from the internet this year.

By Wednesday, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region's public security bureau said that this year, they have investigated over 1,400 cases of rumors, and shut down 71 illegal accounts. The crackdown also targets internet influencers and agencies that spread false stories for profit, as well as creating buzz and manipulating public opinion by exploiting trending social events to create and spread rumors.

In June, the central government launched a 2025 "Clean Internet" campaign to restore order online.

Contact the writer at @chinadaily.com.cn