China cracks down on virtual ‘chaos’ of celebrity fans
Shanghai, China, Aug 27 (EFE).- The China Cyberspace Administration announced Friday measures to end what it defined as “chaos” in the virtual culture of celebrity followers.
In a statement posted on its website, the administration announced the prohibition of publishing lists of celebrities and inciting their followers to consume their products, or the obligation for fan groups to be certified by companies that manage the activities of their idols.
The list includes up to a dozen measures that also include the limitation of the participation of minors in the groups of celebrity followers or the duty to “find in time and clean all kinds of harmful information” published through these platforms.
The objective, the organization said, is “to create a clean cyberspace” in which “online political security and ideological security are maintained.”
The initiative is part of the regulatory campaign in Beijing, which for weeks has spread through sectors such as technology or education.
Precisely during these last weeks the official media have echoed multiple scandals related to celebrities, such as the arrest for alleged rape of the popular Sino-Canadian singer Kris Wu.
Shortly after Wu’s arrest, more than 60 celebrities from the country were summoned by the National Radio and Television Administration for a two-day course in which content was taught on professional ethics, laws and also on the history of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post reported Friday that “thousands of accounts” on social network Weibo – the Chinese equivalent of Twitter – were suspended after a virtual fight between the groups of followers of two famous actors in the country.
Groups of followers of famous people in China had already starred in incidents related to harassment or episodes of “doxxing” – a term in English that describes the leakage of private personal data on the Internet, usually as retaliation or revenge.
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