Security News > 2022 > March > China's internet regulator squeezes famously freewheeling Reddit-alike

China's internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China, has taken unusually strong action against a social network that has long been considered a thorn in the side of the nation's elites.

In the years since its 2005 founding, the site has become known for attracting users who express opinions that China's government may well find displeasing.

That culture has sparked numerous controversies - most famously when users downvoted the film The Wandering Earth, based on a novel of the same name by Chinese sci-fi author Liu Cixin, whose works are considered seminal contributions to the genre in China.

Yesterday, the CAC announced that its parent body, the State Internet Information Office, has declared that Douban is in a state of "Chaos" and a "Work supervision team" has therefore been stationed at Douban "To urge rectification."

Sending a team in to observe Douban is a new level of - ahem - involvement in the affairs of a social network.

In the last year China has repeatedly issued regulations aimed at cleansing its internet of lewd and controversial content.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/03/16/douban_rectification/