Chinese internet regulators are removing social media accounts that use fake information to hype the country’s military strength, including false reports of “cyberwarfare” in the South China Sea.
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A sample post from June on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, read: “Breaking news: China and the US engaged in 12 hours of cyber warfare, causing Luzon Island in the Philippines to lose all GPS, communication and phone signals!”
Another invented post in July featured a video delivering an in-depth explanation of how China had won in its rivalry with the United States, thanks to a technology breakthrough by telecoms giant Huawei which had upgraded China’s radars.
In its latest report released on Monday, the Cyberspace Administration of China said the posts were promptly identified as rumours and removed. The accounts responsible invented “military fantasy stories” to give themselves a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment, it said.
According to the report, various military and local government authorities have recently removed a batch of accounts for “speculating and fabricating false information, misleading the public and distorting the image of military personnel”.
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Many of the accounts had been spreading military rumours and made-up history, the report said, naming two WeChat accounts that falsely said China had sunk four foreign ships.