#FakeNews #CCPLies #CCPControl
No ‘Negative’ News: How China Censored the Coronavirus
In 2020, the whole world has been extensively affected by COVID-19, which was originally called "Wuhan Pneumonia" at the early stage of the outbreak because of its alleged origin. The pandemic has led to the lockdown of many countries, the suspension of economic activities and the separation of families.
In an investigative report published by The New York Times on Dec 19, 2020, it was revealed that the Chinese Communist Party government stage-managed what appeared online in the early days of the outbreak and downplayed the severity of the coronavirus.
The New York Times wrote,
“At a time when digital media is deepening social divides in Western democracies, China is manipulating online discourse to enforce the Communist Party’s consensus.
To stage-manage what appeared on the Chinese internet early this year, the authorities issued strict commands on the content and tone of news coverage, directed paid trolls to inundate social media with party-line blather and deployed security forces to muzzle unsanctioned voices."
For example, regarding the death of the whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang, who had been threatened and prosecuted by the Chinese authorities, on Feb 7, 2020, China "ordered news websites not to issue push notifications alerting readers to his death. They [Chinese authorities] told social platforms to gradually remove his name from trending topics pages. And they activated legions of fake online commenters to flood social sites with distracting chatter, stressing the need for discretion".
The New York Times also found that "Chinese officials tried to steer the narrative not only to prevent panic and debunk damaging falsehoods domestically. They also wanted to make the virus look less severe — and the authorities more capable — as the rest of the world was watching."
According to Xiao Qiang, a research scientist at the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley, and the founder of China Digital Times,
“China has a politically weaponized system of censorship; it is refined, organized, coordinated and supported by the state’s resources. It’s not just for deleting something. They also have a powerful apparatus to construct a narrative and aim it at any target with huge scale.”
“This is a huge thing,” he added. “No other country has that.”
Source: New York Times #Dec19
Read the original article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/technology/china-coronavirus-censorship.html
#CyberSpace #Xi #WaterArmy #WuhanPneumomia #Manipulation #COVID19 #Christmas2020
No ‘Negative’ News: How China Censored the Coronavirus
In 2020, the whole world has been extensively affected by COVID-19, which was originally called "Wuhan Pneumonia" at the early stage of the outbreak because of its alleged origin. The pandemic has led to the lockdown of many countries, the suspension of economic activities and the separation of families.
In an investigative report published by The New York Times on Dec 19, 2020, it was revealed that the Chinese Communist Party government stage-managed what appeared online in the early days of the outbreak and downplayed the severity of the coronavirus.
The New York Times wrote,
“At a time when digital media is deepening social divides in Western democracies, China is manipulating online discourse to enforce the Communist Party’s consensus.
To stage-manage what appeared on the Chinese internet early this year, the authorities issued strict commands on the content and tone of news coverage, directed paid trolls to inundate social media with party-line blather and deployed security forces to muzzle unsanctioned voices."
For example, regarding the death of the whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang, who had been threatened and prosecuted by the Chinese authorities, on Feb 7, 2020, China "ordered news websites not to issue push notifications alerting readers to his death. They [Chinese authorities] told social platforms to gradually remove his name from trending topics pages. And they activated legions of fake online commenters to flood social sites with distracting chatter, stressing the need for discretion".
The New York Times also found that "Chinese officials tried to steer the narrative not only to prevent panic and debunk damaging falsehoods domestically. They also wanted to make the virus look less severe — and the authorities more capable — as the rest of the world was watching."
According to Xiao Qiang, a research scientist at the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley, and the founder of China Digital Times,
“China has a politically weaponized system of censorship; it is refined, organized, coordinated and supported by the state’s resources. It’s not just for deleting something. They also have a powerful apparatus to construct a narrative and aim it at any target with huge scale.”
“This is a huge thing,” he added. “No other country has that.”
Source: New York Times #Dec19
Read the original article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/technology/china-coronavirus-censorship.html
#CyberSpace #Xi #WaterArmy #WuhanPneumomia #Manipulation #COVID19 #Christmas2020
Nytimes
No ‘Negative’ News: How China Censored the Coronavirus (Published 2020)
Thousands of internal directives and reports reveal how Chinese officials stage-managed what appeared online in the early days of the outbreak.
#Propaganda #CCP
Buying Influence: How China Manipulates #Facebook and #Twitter
//...a new set of documents reviewed by The New York Times reveals in stark detail how Chinese officials tap private businesses to generate content on demand, draw followers, track critics and provide other services for information campaigns. That operation increasingly plays out on international platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which the Chinese government blocks at home.
The documents, which were part of a request for bids from contractors, offer a rare glimpse into how China’s vast bureaucracy works to spread propaganda and to sculpt opinion on global social media. They were taken offline after The Times contacted the Chinese government about them...
A separate document reviewed by The Times shows that the same local branch of Shanghai police purchased video-making services from a different company in November. The police asked the supplier to provide at least 20 videos a month and to distribute those on domestic and overseas social media. The document referred to the task as original video production that would be used to fight the “battle of public opinion.”
Earlier this year, a New York Times and ProPublica analysis showed howthousands of videos portraying members of the Uyghur ethnic minority living happy and free lives were a key part of an information campaign that Twitter ultimately attributed to the Chinese Communist Party...
Work like what Shanghai Cloud Link pitched is likely just the tip of the iceberg. Local governments and police across China have put out similar requests for services to influence overseas social media, but often in vague terms. Occasionally, specifics are revealed.
In 2017, for instance, the police in Inner Mongolia purchased software that allowed government trolls to post directly to multiple social media sites, inside and outside of China, according to documents reviewed by The Times.
In another case, a contractor had downloaded hundreds of access credentials for Facebook’s public feed, allowing it to collect data about who commented on which posts and when.//
Read the full article:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/12/20/technology/china-facebook-twitter-influence-manipulation.htmlb
Source: New York Times #Dec20
#Manipulation #PublicOpinionManagement #SocialMedia #Meta #Disinformation #MadeinChina #CCPRules
Buying Influence: How China Manipulates #Facebook and #Twitter
//...a new set of documents reviewed by The New York Times reveals in stark detail how Chinese officials tap private businesses to generate content on demand, draw followers, track critics and provide other services for information campaigns. That operation increasingly plays out on international platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which the Chinese government blocks at home.
The documents, which were part of a request for bids from contractors, offer a rare glimpse into how China’s vast bureaucracy works to spread propaganda and to sculpt opinion on global social media. They were taken offline after The Times contacted the Chinese government about them...
A separate document reviewed by The Times shows that the same local branch of Shanghai police purchased video-making services from a different company in November. The police asked the supplier to provide at least 20 videos a month and to distribute those on domestic and overseas social media. The document referred to the task as original video production that would be used to fight the “battle of public opinion.”
Earlier this year, a New York Times and ProPublica analysis showed howthousands of videos portraying members of the Uyghur ethnic minority living happy and free lives were a key part of an information campaign that Twitter ultimately attributed to the Chinese Communist Party...
Work like what Shanghai Cloud Link pitched is likely just the tip of the iceberg. Local governments and police across China have put out similar requests for services to influence overseas social media, but often in vague terms. Occasionally, specifics are revealed.
In 2017, for instance, the police in Inner Mongolia purchased software that allowed government trolls to post directly to multiple social media sites, inside and outside of China, according to documents reviewed by The Times.
In another case, a contractor had downloaded hundreds of access credentials for Facebook’s public feed, allowing it to collect data about who commented on which posts and when.//
Read the full article:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/12/20/technology/china-facebook-twitter-influence-manipulation.htmlb
Source: New York Times #Dec20
#Manipulation #PublicOpinionManagement #SocialMedia #Meta #Disinformation #MadeinChina #CCPRules
#Censorship #Silencing
China's Internet censors suggested contents mocking #XiJingping
On January 12, 2022, a Twitter account in the name of "New Youth" (新青年) twitted several screenshots showing possible censorship on #Baidu, the most used search engine in China.
The screenshots are lists of search results on Baidu, which is said to be automatically generated by AI based on most popular searches and most used keywords.
"New Youth" claimed that on Baidu's search bar, it used to prompt multiple AI suggested contents associated to "The incumbent" (現在這位) in its dropdown box, such like:-
"The incumbent is going to reign forever?" (現在這位是一直要坐下去嗎);
"The incumbent is not stirring up economy but movement" (現在這位不搞經濟搞運動);
"The incumbent craves for grandiose deeds" (現在這位好大喜功);
"The incumbent sucks in promoting economy" (現在這位搞經濟不行);
"The incumbent brags everyday, incredible!" (現在這位天天吹, 厲害了).
These suggested contents are seemingly pointing at the top CCP leader, Xi Jingping, criticising and mocking his leadership.
Currently, Baidu has removed all these suggested contents associated to "The Incumbent".
#CCP #Manipulation #Regime #ChineseInternet
Source: RFA; #Jan12
https://bit.ly/31Y8HVK
China's Internet censors suggested contents mocking #XiJingping
On January 12, 2022, a Twitter account in the name of "New Youth" (新青年) twitted several screenshots showing possible censorship on #Baidu, the most used search engine in China.
The screenshots are lists of search results on Baidu, which is said to be automatically generated by AI based on most popular searches and most used keywords.
"New Youth" claimed that on Baidu's search bar, it used to prompt multiple AI suggested contents associated to "The incumbent" (現在這位) in its dropdown box, such like:-
"The incumbent is going to reign forever?" (現在這位是一直要坐下去嗎);
"The incumbent is not stirring up economy but movement" (現在這位不搞經濟搞運動);
"The incumbent craves for grandiose deeds" (現在這位好大喜功);
"The incumbent sucks in promoting economy" (現在這位搞經濟不行);
"The incumbent brags everyday, incredible!" (現在這位天天吹, 厲害了).
These suggested contents are seemingly pointing at the top CCP leader, Xi Jingping, criticising and mocking his leadership.
Currently, Baidu has removed all these suggested contents associated to "The Incumbent".
#CCP #Manipulation #Regime #ChineseInternet
Source: RFA; #Jan12
https://bit.ly/31Y8HVK
Radio Free Asia
【中國網禁】「現在這位」疑諷習 百度關聯想功能
推特網友稱，在百度搜索輸入「現在這位」會出現許多聯想內容，包括「現在這位是一直要坐下去嗎」、「現在這位不搞經濟搞運動」、「現在這位好大喜功」、「現在這位天天吹 厲害了」等，似乎都指向對習近平的批評。