Weibo deletes over 41,000 posts for ‘creating trouble’ on platform

Microblogging site pleads for users to remain calm when reacting to the Winter Olympics

Guardar
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Chinese social media app Weibo is seen on a mobile phone in this illustration picture taken December 7, 2021. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Chinese social media app Weibo is seen on a mobile phone in this illustration picture taken December 7, 2021. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo

The Chinese government has taken a firm stance on maintaining a ‘clean and healthy’ domestic cyberspace. In September, the country’s cyberspace watchdog issued guidelines that made it clear the Weibo platforms must manage the content generated by users.

However since the Beijing 2022 Winter Games have started over 41,000 posts about the Olympics have been deleted along with 850 user accounts.

Weibo issued a statement that some users are “creating trouble” at a time when the whole country is “immersed in the strong atmosphere of the Winter Olympics”, “User accounts have attacked athletes with irony and insulting language and spread false information … we encourage internet users to watch the competition in a calm mood.”

The online firestorm started on Sunday as American-born figure skater Zhu Yi, representing Team China, fell in the women’s short program. China finished last in the team competition.

“Please don’t attack athletes for an accidental mistake,” Weibo said in its latest post on Wednesday. “Emotional words only create more pressure for athletes.”

2022 Beijing Olympics - Figure Skating - Team Event - Women Single Skating - Free Skating - Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China - February 7, 2022. Zhu Yi of China falls during her performance. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
2022 Beijing Olympics - Figure Skating - Team Event - Women Single Skating - Free Skating - Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China - February 7, 2022. Zhu Yi of China falls during her performance. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel

The trending topic “Zhu Yi has fallen” had over 200 million views before the hashtag was taken down.

The situation has put a strain on the platform, which is already trying to remove content inciting violence and racial slurs. Over a billion Chinese internet users are currently commenting and blogging about the Beijing Olympics.

Weibo said in the notice it will strengthen the screening-out of bad information in relation with the Olympics. The platform also encouraged users to report to the Weibo management team about content that violate rules.

KEEP READING

Guardar

Últimas Noticias

Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons

Beyond the final result, Roland Garros left the feeling that the Italian and the Spaniard will shape the great duel that came to help us through the duel for the end of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era.
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons

Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024

She is the third in her sport and the seventh athlete to achieve it in the same edition; in Santiago 2023 she was the first athlete with disabilities to compete at the Pan American level and won a medal.
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024

Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris

Argentinian Rodrigo Isgró received a five-game suspension for an indiscipline in the circuit’s decisive clash that would exclude him until the final or the bronze match; the Federation will seek to make the appeal successful.
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris

Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years

The Kenyan received the maximum sanction for irregularities in his biological passport and the Court considered that he was part of a system of “deliberate and sophisticated doping” to improve his performance. He will lose his record and the bronze medal at the Doha World Cup.
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years

Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”

The American, a seven-time Olympic champion, referred to the case of the 23 positive controls before the Tokyo Games that were announced a few weeks ago and shook the swimming world. “I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low,” he said.
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”