. 24/7 Space News .
CYBER WARS
China orders tech firms to ramp up censorship
by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) July 20, 2017


China's banned books fade from Hong Kong
Hong Kong (AFP) July 20, 2017 - The annual Hong Kong book fair has always been a source of politically sensitive titles banned in China, but this year fewer were on display as the city faces growing pressure under an increasingly assertive Beijing.

Several publishing houses were still displaying controversial books at the harbourfront convention centre as part of a fair that attracts more than a million visitors over six days.

But the number has shrunk since the disappearance of five city booksellers who worked for a publisher specialising in salacious titles about Chinese political leaders.

They vanished almost two years ago and resurfaced on the mainland, where one still remains in custody.

Since then, mainstream bookstores in Hong Kong have removed titles likely to offend Chinese authorities and smaller producers have shied away from rocking the boat.

It comes as many fear that Beijing is tightening it's grip on semi-autonomous Hong Kong and threatening its cherished freedoms.

Greenfield Bookstore has long sold banned works at the book fair and this year displayed titles about late Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo and former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

But a store manager who identified himself only as Mr Tam estimated the overall number of politically sensitive books on sale across the fair was down as much as 70 percent.

"There are less of these books coming out. Some of the smaller and independent companies, they haven't come back," he told AFP.

Hong Kong book store owner Paul Tang said that production of gossipy books on Chinese leaders has seen a significant decline since the disappearance of the five booksellers.

Mainland customers who used to travel over the border to snap them up have also stayed away, he said.

"A lot of publishers are self censoring and afraid to produce more books," Tang told AFP.

Flipping through a title about late Nobel laureate Liu at the Greenfield stall, housewife Wincy Chan said she was disappointed the book fair did not address the elephant in the room -- Liu's death last week in Chinese custody.

"They are avoiding the topic with the theme of travel," said Chan, in her 50s, referring to the fair's focus this year.

Chan said she was worried politically sensitive books would not be available in the future.

But some hope a new wave of writers and satirists will keep the political debate alive.

At the stall belonging to 100 Most, a lifestyle magazine also known for its irreverent take on Hong Kong and Chinese politics, titles included student protest leader Joshua Wong's memoirs and a book about the 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement.

Book-lover Matthew Mok who was browsing the stall said taking a lighthearted approach could be a solution.

"You can't directly talk about things that the Communist Party finds sensitive -- you need a funny way of going into the topic to make the books attractive," Mok, 17, said.

China has ordered the country's biggest technology firms to immediately "rectify" violations and shut accounts that publish "bad information", in the latest move by authorities to tighten policing of the web.

The Cyberspace Administration of China said it held a meeting this week with representatives from domestic tech giants Baidu, Sohu, Tencent, Netease and Phoenix to inform them of multiple violations in content published on their platforms.

The offences listed Wednesday by the authorities included misinterpreting policy directives, disseminating false information, distorting Chinese Communist Party history, plagiarising photos, and challenging public order.

The companies must "immediately ... carry out special cleaning and rectification" in order to adhere to regulations, the CAC said in a statement.

China tightly controls the internet through a censorship system known as the "Great Firewall" and closely monitors social media networks for sensitive content.

Regulations in force since 2000 say websites are responsible for "ensuring the legality of any information" posted on their platforms.

The CAC provided several examples of problems in articles published by independent media accounts on domestic social media platforms.

This included a post on Baidu's Baijia platform that said the government's policies on real estate were to blame for a rise in housing prices, which the CAC called an "irresponsible attack".

The CAC also slammed Tencent for allowing the release of an article titled, "a Chinese warplane crashed on a US aircraft carrier, killing three US soldiers?", which turned out to be a plot from a television show.

New regulations that came into force on June 1 require online platforms to get a licence to post news reports or commentary about the government, economy, military, foreign affairs, and social issues.

In other recent moves, authorities have closed dozens of celebrity gossip blogs and issued new rules around online video content to eliminate programmes deemed offensive.

Since the death of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo last week, censors have been working in overdrive to scrub any tributes to the democracy activist.

Both keywords and images associated with Liu have been blocked across all major social media platforms in China, according to analysts.

The scope of censorship related to Liu expanded greatly after his death, a report by the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto found.

"His death (is) the first time we see image filtering in one-to-one chat, in addition to image filtering in group chats," the report said.

But Chinese activists who have access to virtual private network (VPN) software, which allows people to circumvent the Great Firewall, have posted tributes to Liu on Twitter and Facebook in recent days, including photos of memorials next to bodies of water, since his ashes were scattered at sea.

CYBER WARS
'Oh, bother': Chinese censors can't bear Winnie the Pooh
Beijing (AFP) July 17, 2017
Has Winnie the Pooh done something to anger China's censors? Some mentions of the lovable but dimwitted bear with a weakness for "hunny" have been blocked on Chinese social networks. Authorities did not explain the clampdown, but the self-described "bear of very little brain" has been used in the past in a meme comparing him to portly Chinese President Xi Jinping. Posts bearing the image ... read more

Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

CYBER WARS
NASA Offers Space Station as Catalyst for Discovery in Washington

Counting calories in space

As the world embraces space, the 50 year old Outer Space Treaty needs adaptation

Dutch project tests floating cities to seek more space

CYBER WARS
ISRO Develops Ship-Based Antenna System to Track Satellite Launches

Aerojet Rocketdyne tests Advanced Electric Propulsion System

After two delays, SpaceX launches broadband satellite for IntelSat

Spiky ferrofluid thrusters can move satellites

CYBER WARS
Space Race: NASA Faces Competition From SpaceX For First Mars Mission

Mars surface 'more uninhabitable' than thought: study

Mars Rover Opportunity continuing science campaign at Perseverance Valley

The Niagara Falls of Mars once flowed with lava

CYBER WARS
China develops sea launches to boost space commerce

Chinese satellite Zhongxing-9A enters preset orbit

Chinese Space Program: From Setback, to Manned Flights, to the Moon

Chinese Rocket Fizzles Out, Puts Other Launches on Hold

CYBER WARS
ASTROSCALE Raises a Total of $25 Million in Series C Led by Private Companies

Korean Aerospace offices raided in anti-corruption probe

Iridium Poised to Make Global Maritime Distress and Safety System History

100M Pound boost for UK space sector

CYBER WARS
Sorting complicated knots

Nature-inspired material uses liquid reinforcement

News laser design offers more inexpensive multi-color output

Chemistry discovery yields 3-D table-top objects crafted from light

CYBER WARS
Gulf of Mexico tube worm is one of the longest-living animals in the world

Big, shape-shifting animals from the dawn of time

Hidden Stars May Make Planets Appear Smaller

Astronomers Track the Birth of a 'Super-Earth'

CYBER WARS
Juno Completes Flyby over Jupiter's Great Red Spot

NASA spacecraft to fly over Jupiter's Great Red Spot

New Mysteries Surround New Horizons' Next Flyby Target

Mid-infrared images from the Subaru telescope extend Juno spacecraft discoveries









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.