China Uses US Concern Over Fake News To Push For More Control Of The Internet

from the literally-any-excuse-will-do dept

All this talk of fake news and the public's apparent inability to be trusted with the task of sorting the real from the bogus has now led to China introducing even more censorship. #MakeSuppressionGreatAgainAlso.

China's ambitions to tighten up regulation of the Internet have found a second wind in old fears - terrorism and fake news. Chinese officials and business leaders speaking at the third World Internet Conference held in Wuzhen last week called for more rigid cyber governance, pointing to the ability of militants to organize online and the spread of false news items during the recent U.S. election as signs cyberspace had become dangerous and unwieldy.

As if China needed any more shoves in the direction of a more oppressive internet experience for its citizens. Following on the heels of a new "cybersecurity" law that did little to address anything more than the security of the government's self-image, China is now using the garbage-fire-on-wheels that was the 2016 presidential election to criminalize the dissemination of whatever news the government feels is "fake."

Ren [Xialing], number two at the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), recommended using identification systems for netizens who post fake news and rumors, so they could "reward and punish" them.

In the context of this sentence, "reward" and "punish" both sound like they have the same definition. Unless the government official is hinting that those spreading fake news stories more aligned with the government's aims will be given… something for their assistance in pushing the party line.

The United States has long been looked to as a free speech ideal, something other countries can strive for in their own governance. But countries opposed to those ideals are watching much more closely, looking for anything that belies the ideals the US government claims to hold dear. So, when President Obama suggests fake news is an actual threat to democracy, countries like China are going to use this to justify further control of citizens' communications and stricter regulation of news sources -- for the "good of the nation."

Fortunately, our own government seems extremely hesitant to get into the "fake news" regulation business, but that's not going to stop other governments from cherry picking dubious claims or statements originating from the "leader of the free world" to support their censorious actions.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community. Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis. While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: censorship, china, fake news