Revealing that which is concealed. Learning about anything that resembles real freedom. A journey of self-discovery shared with the world.
Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them - Ephesians 5-11
Join me and let's follow that high road...
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Chinese Regime Deploys 1,600 Online Trolls To Suppress Information On Coronavirus
The propaganda department in virus-stricken Hubei Province has engaged over 1,600 censors to scrub the internet of “sensitive” information relating to the coronavirus outbreak, according to an internal document obtained by The Epoch Times. The internal report, dated Feb. 15, detailed the agency’s efforts to ramp up censorship measures.
It was drafted after a speech given by Chinese leader Xi Jinping via
video link on Feb. 10 to “frontline responders” of the coronavirus
outbreak in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, where the virus first broke
out.
The revelations come as the Chinese regime tightens information
controls over the worsening outbreak, as netizens have increasingly
turned to the internet to vent their frustrations about the authorities’
response, or document what is happening on the ground. The illness has seen a steadily growing official list of infections
and deaths on a daily basis. Experts and commentators, however, believe
the actual number of infections to be far greater, due to underreporting
and shortages in testing kits and hospital beds—meaning many people are
left undiagnosed.
1,600 Trolls Deployed
According to the document, the department has hired more than 1,600
trolls, known as the 50-cent army in China, to regulate internet speech
continuously, 24/7. The trolls, through technological and manual screening, had
identified as many as 606,800 posts online with “sensitive or harmful
information,” it said. Their approach, it said, was to “timely dispel the online rumors” and “strike powerful blows offline.” As of Feb. 14, the online censors had deleted as many as 54,000 such
“rumors,” and had social media influencers write nearly 400 commentary
articles to shape the narrative. The regime’s propaganda efforts, the report said, should be directed
toward promoting the effects of officials’ outbreak control measures and
the “moving deeds” of volunteers, community workers, and the police. Some professional “internet commentators” had also made
400,000 comments to “counter the negative public opinions,” according to
the document. Posts mourning whistle blower doctor Li Wenliang, who died of the
virus he was warning about in December, quickly disappeared from the
internet in the hours after the news of his passing was first announced.
“I want free speech,” a phrase that became trending on Chinese social
media following his death, was also swiftly erased. Wuhan citizen journalists Fang Bin and Chen Qiushi also recently
disappeared after posting regular videos online highlighting the
severity of the outbreak. As of Feb. 11, over 2,500 people had signed a joint online petition
expressing anger over Li’s death and criticizing the government for
suppressing free speech during the outbreak. Several co-signees were
subsequently summoned by local police. At least one was detained. The department has also set up 11 work groups for the purpose of “wartime propaganda” work. The
groups were communicating daily with propaganda officials from the
central government to “coordinate public opinion” in real time on issues
“online and offline,” “inside the country and overseas,” it stated.
In short, thousands of paid liars who by lying, are killing us all.
