CORONAVIRUS | Citizen Lab: The findings suggest that companies received 'official guidance' on how to manage virus content in the early stages of the outbreak.
Chinese social media platforms began censoring references to coronavirus and keywords critical of the government's handling of the infection as early as December, Toronto-based cyber research group, Citizen Lab, said in a report today.
Blocked terms also included non-critical phrases related to public health and local rules, including "travel ban" and "people-to-people transmission".Chinese social media companies are subject to strict laws requiring them to censor content that "undermines social stability" or is critical of the central government, controls that have tightened under Xi.
The report said YY added 45 key phrases to an Internal blacklist, including "Wuhan Unknown Pneumonia" and "Wuhan Seafood Market" on Dec 31, a day after eight people, including Dr Li Wenliang, raised an alarm about the virus in a WeChat group and were subsequently punished by police for "spreading rumours".
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