Twitter has removed more than 170,000 allegedly in the interest of the Chinese government-controlled Propaganda Accounts of its platform. Including 23.750 particularly active Accounts, which would have been in connection to the Chinese state, the US company said. In addition, around 150,000 accounts were deleted, which would have spread such messages.
In the mainly in Chinese-operated accounts had been spread wrong messages about the Chinese special administrative zone Hong Kong, in last year’s protests against the Beijing-loyal leadership to take place, according to the Australian policy Institute ASPI, which had analyzed the accounts.
Also manipulative content through the Corona of a pandemic, as well as Taiwan, whose Association with the people’s Republic of the declared aim of the Beijing leadership, there have been widely used. While the use of Twitter is forbidden to the Chinese citizens, to use the Communist party of the service like “to spread international Propaganda and disinformation,” says ASPI cyber expert Fergus Hanson.
Twitter to put out information 7340 Accounts, on which the Turkish government is said to have been supported with manipulative messages. Also 1152 accounts of a Russian group of the US-company Propaganda classified Material have been removed.
Zoom is pressure from Beijing
The popular Video conferencing platform Zoom, however, has granted, three video Chinese meet people to have rights activists in the United States and Hong Kong to pressure the government in Beijing and the accounts of the host closed blocked. In San Jose, California-based company stated that the accounts had now been re-enabled.
However, the platform is considered according to its own presentation in the future, the instructions of the Chinese Authorities about “illegal” activities, however, accounts and activities outside of China are no longer restricted. “Over the next few days” will develop a Software that would allow the participants according to their respective location exclude. “That allows us to meet the demands of local authorities, if these activities are watching on our platform as illegal, within their borders,” of the company.
The approach had triggered sharp criticism. It is a memorial related events for the victims of the bloody crackdown on the 1989 Pro-democracy movement in China.
cgn/AR (afp, dpa, rtr)
*The post “Twitter deletes massive Beijing-friendly Accounts,” published by Deutsche Welle. Contact with the executives here.
Deutsche Welle
