WeChat Censorship Tightens with Chinese State Media Articles Containing Sensitive Words Blocked Too, Says University of Toronto Study
A report by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab released this week shows that censorship on WeChat has been tightened. The lab tracked changes to WeChat’s list of censored words between this January and May. It was found that over 2,000 words relating to the pandemic have been marked sensitive and blocked. An article by the state media, too, would disappear from the platform if it contains any of those sensitive words, shwoing that the freedom of expression on WeChat is even more limited than that allowed by the state media.
As WeChat censors contents on a remote server, it was not possible for the researchers to understand how the censorship works by inspecting the codes. What they did instead was to create three dummy accounts with one Chinese and two Canadian numbers. They then started a group conversation where they shared Chinese-language articles from media organizations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. By observing which articles were blocked, they identified the words deemed sensitive by WeChat.
The study reveals that more than 2,000 words relating to the Wuhan virus pandemic were blocked by WeChat between this January and May, even if they came in an article by the state media. That WeChat banned certain topics allowed by the state-controlled media is a sign that it adheres to an even more stringent standard.
The investigation shows how WeChat has manipulated the narrative on the pandemic from the start. It was found that back when Wuhan was placed under lockdown, WeChat was already blocking texts containing the name of the whistle-blower Li Wenliang. Reports of the Chinese authorities informing the US of the outbreak as early as on 3 January were also blocked. Articles containing the terms “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” and “SARS-CoV-2”, too, were banned from being circulated.
As the epidemic spread to the rest of world in March, WeChat began blocking articles mentioning such international organizations as the WHO and the Red Cross and those that dealt with outbreaks in countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, and the UK. Articles containing keywords about the US and international relations were also banned.
#UniversityOfToronto #UofT #CitizenLab #China #WeChat #Censorship #Pandemic #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #LiWenliang
Source: Apple Daily #Aug29
https://bit.ly/3h3ftL4
A report by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab released this week shows that censorship on WeChat has been tightened. The lab tracked changes to WeChat’s list of censored words between this January and May. It was found that over 2,000 words relating to the pandemic have been marked sensitive and blocked. An article by the state media, too, would disappear from the platform if it contains any of those sensitive words, shwoing that the freedom of expression on WeChat is even more limited than that allowed by the state media.
As WeChat censors contents on a remote server, it was not possible for the researchers to understand how the censorship works by inspecting the codes. What they did instead was to create three dummy accounts with one Chinese and two Canadian numbers. They then started a group conversation where they shared Chinese-language articles from media organizations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. By observing which articles were blocked, they identified the words deemed sensitive by WeChat.
The study reveals that more than 2,000 words relating to the Wuhan virus pandemic were blocked by WeChat between this January and May, even if they came in an article by the state media. That WeChat banned certain topics allowed by the state-controlled media is a sign that it adheres to an even more stringent standard.
The investigation shows how WeChat has manipulated the narrative on the pandemic from the start. It was found that back when Wuhan was placed under lockdown, WeChat was already blocking texts containing the name of the whistle-blower Li Wenliang. Reports of the Chinese authorities informing the US of the outbreak as early as on 3 January were also blocked. Articles containing the terms “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” and “SARS-CoV-2”, too, were banned from being circulated.
As the epidemic spread to the rest of world in March, WeChat began blocking articles mentioning such international organizations as the WHO and the Red Cross and those that dealt with outbreaks in countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, and the UK. Articles containing keywords about the US and international relations were also banned.
#UniversityOfToronto #UofT #CitizenLab #China #WeChat #Censorship #Pandemic #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #LiWenliang
Source: Apple Daily #Aug29
https://bit.ly/3h3ftL4