Journalism Pakistan
Journalism Pakistan
Freedom of expression shrinks in Pakistan as PECA Amendments take toll: report اظہارِ رائے کی آزادی محدود، پیکا میں ترامیم سے میڈیا کو شدید دھچکا: رپورٹDawn urges Indian media to abandon war rhetoric ڈان کی بھارتی میڈیا سے جنگی بیانیہ ترک کرنے کی اپیلIndia bans 16 Pakistani YouTube channels following Pahalgan attack پہلگام حملے کے بعد بھارت نے پاکستان کے 16 یوٹیوب چینلز پر پابندی لگا دی'In A Different Realm' offers a philosophical take on cricket's greatest innings ان اے ڈیفرنٹ ریلم کرکٹ کی عظیم ترین اننگز پر ایک فکری نقطۂ نظر پیش کرتی ہےCoordinated or coincidence? Identical tweets by Pakistani journalists raise eyebrows ہم آہنگی یا محض اتفاق؟ پاکستانی صحافیوں کے ایک جیسے ٹویٹس نے سوالات اٹھا دیےThe PSL paradox: pageantry or progress? پی ایس ایل کا تضاد: دکھاوا یا ترقی؟Sher Afzal Marwat launches personal attacks on journalists after PTI expulsion پی ٹی آئی سے نکالے جانے کے بعد شیر افضل مروت کے صحافیوں پر ذاتی حملےJournalist Sanaullah Khan alleges FIA blocking accounts of YouTubers and families صحافی ثناء اللہ خان کا انکشاف: ایف آئی اے یوٹیوبرز اور ان کے خاندانوں کے اکاؤنٹس بلاک کر رہی ہےA launch in style: Dr. Nauman Niaz unveils 'In A Different Realm' ان اے ڈفرنٹ ریلم کی رونمائی: ڈاکٹر نعمان نیاز کی کتاب Sindhi journalist AD Shar brutally murdered, PFUJ declares three-day mourning سندھی صحافی اے ڈی شر کا بہیمانہ قتل، پی ایف یو جے نے تین روزہ سوگ کا اعلان کر دیاAJK government registers case against newspaper and staff آزاد کشمیر حکومت کا اخبار اور عملے کے خلاف مقدمہJournalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges FIA threats, possible arrest over reporting صحافی آرزو کاظمی کا دعویٰ: ایف آئی اے کی دھمکیاں، رپورٹنگ پر ممکنہ گرفتاری

China's online crackdown continues with Twitter, Weibo and Wechat shutdowns

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published November 19, 2018

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China's online crackdown continues with Twitter, Weibo and Wechat shutdowns

The Chinese Government’s online crackdown has continued with the shutdown of thousands of social media accounts.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has voiced strong concerns for freedom of expression in China with this latest crackdown by the government.

 According to Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) activists in China have been pressured by police to delete sensitive tweets, and in other instances, there have been reports of the authorities gaining access to accounts and shutting them down.

HKFP reported that Yaxue Cao, founder of the human rights site, China Change, was referring to the action as a ‘silent slaughter’. On November 17, China Change reported that the Twitter account of Chinese activist Wu Gan was suddenly deleted. Wu’s account had more than 30,000 posts, and he was jailed in December 2017 for subversion.

 The latest crackdown comes, despite Twitter being blocked by the ‘Great Firewall’ in China and users having to use VPNs to access it.

 At the same time, the South China Morning Post reported that nearly 10,000 social media accounts had been shut down in just three weeks under a new government campaign. The latest government-led campaign was launched on October 20, and includes accounts belonging to ‘a popular talk show celebrity, an entertainment blogger who shared film footage, online influencers commenting on social issues and bloggers writing extensively on ethnicity’.

As part of the crackdown, the Cyberspace Administration summoned representatives of Weibo and Wechat over their management of the platforms. Both platforms were given ‘serious warnings’ over their ‘irresponsibility and lax management’. The Administration also said that the deleted accounts ‘trampled on the dignity of laws and regulations and damaged the ecology of online public opinion’.

The IFJ said: “The Chinese Government’s crackdown of the online sphere has become an ongoing attack on freedom of expression and speech, and is a blatant attempt by the government to control the public narrative.” – IFJ media release

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