|
SHANGHAI - China's Sina Corp has introduced a code of conduct forusers of the local version of Twitter amid accusations ofcensorship to rein in what has grown into a raucous online forum toair political and social grievances. The code of conduct, first announced earlier this month, stipulatesthat users of Sina's Weibo microblogging site cannot postinformation that is against the principles of the constitution,cannot harm national unity, disclose state secrets or publish falseinformation, among other rules. Many users said the restrictions were aimed at muzzling the oftenscathing and anonymous online chatter in a country where theInternet offers a rare opportunity for open discussion. The move, the latest in a series of steps to rein in discussion onWeibo, comes as China prepares for a once-in-a-decade leadershiphandover, expected to be announced at a party congress later thisyear. Sina, the biggest of the Weibo operators, also introduced a pointssystem in which a user starts with 80 points and loses points forevery violation. A score of zero results in a cancelled account. A user can gainpoints for validating his or her real identity. "It gives Sina a firmer basis for expanding a ban on whatever isconsidered sensitive news," said one prominent Weibo user who spokeon condition of anonymity. "The definition of what counts as sensitive was always loose andit's expanding all the time. Of course, nowadays, they're worriedbecause of all the scandal and rumours before the 18th Congress." In a sign of how intensely sensitive the issue is for the rulingCommunist Party, censors blocked online searches for the name of BoXilai, the former Chongqing party boss cast out of the party'sCentral Committee. Internet users have skirted restrictions on Weibo by using codewords to discuss the issue. Sina employs technicians to scrub Weibo of politically sensitiveposts. Sina's move to implement a user contract comes after Beijingdemanded last December that microblogging operators ensure theirusers are registered with their real names. The company, which has invested heavily in Weibo, intends to startmaking money from it this quarter. Sina has said validating the real identity of Weibo users will behard, given its roughly 300 million users. Some Weibo users expressed dismay over the new restrictions. "New rules will be carried out on the 28th," one wrote. "So Ishould publish my personal opinion on matters of state sovereignty,territorial integrity and social problems before then. After the28th, I will just write about personal things.". We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Coating Thickness Measurement , Digital Concrete Test Hammer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Color Difference Meter.
Related Articles -
Coating Thickness Measurement, Digital Concrete Test Hammer,
|
