WeChat announced that their media platform will regulate user’s information dissemination behavior and those trying to conduct marketing activities by distorting China and CCP history, ThePaper is reporting [in Chinese].
The announcement comes one week after WeChat’s Open Class in Guangzhou, where WeChat promised to work on helping content public accounts to monetize their user base. With the announcement of now 580,000 WeChat mini programs, WeChat wants to make sure all their platform operators abide by the rule of “People’s Republic of China Cyber Security Law”, and publish only appropriate content.
WeChat announced that it will permanently remove any Official Account “distorting” the national history or the Party history.
Here’s the full text of the announcement (our translation):
Recently, WeChat public platform (微信公众平台) found that some public accounts and mini programs that were distorting the party history and national history and were conducting marketing activities. Such acts have violated the “People’s Republic of China Cyber Security Law”, “Internet users’ public account management regulations”, “Instant Interim Provisions on the Development and Management of Public Information Services for Communications Tools “,” WeChat Public Platform Operation Specification “and” WeChat Mini Program Platform Operation Specification”, which were suspected of spreading fake marketing information, disturbing users, destroying user experience and disrupting the healthy ecosystem of the platform.
According to the requirements of the above laws, regulations and platform specifications, from the moment of announcement, public articles that still exist for such opportunistic marketing activities will be deleted and penalized for violating rules. If they continue to violate regulations or deliberately use various means of malicious confrontation after repeated punishments, we will take more heavy treatment until the permanent removal. We ask operators seriously treat inappropriate content, strengthen account management, and work together to maintain a sound network environment.
Examples of violations
- Misleading titles
The title released on July 1st 2017 reads, “China, you are fooled!” The bottom red explanation reads “Fiercely click up there! You can subscribe to this account for free!” and “Right mind, right thought, right behavior and the most influential, positive energy-giving platform! Thank you for being part of us!”
This article on WeChat public account conducted marketing activities by spreading fake marketing information, and disturbing users and falsely using a title, therefore, violates the rules.
- Fabricated distortion of historical information
The title of the article released on August 4th, 2017 reads, “Shangganling campaign! A secret concealed for the half-century”. Shangganling Campaign was a protracted military engagement during the Korean War dating from Oct 14, 1952 to Nov 25, 1952, where the main combatants were two United Nations infantry divisions, with additional support from the United States Air Force, against elements of the 15th and 12th Corps of the People’s Republic of China. The notice reads: “Notice: click the upper account, then you can subscribe for free!” “After subscription, you can answer at the bottom with the number next to each article title, and read the content.”
This article on WeChat public account conducted marketing activities by distorting China’s history, therefore, violates the rules.