Stories about China
An interview with media scholar Rose Luqiu about WeChat and techno-nationalism
"A major factor is censorship or 'coerced loyalty.' As other communication tools like Facebook and Twitter are unavailable in China. WeChat has a very special [monopoly] status in China."
Hong Kong to ban films and punish unauthorized screenings on grounds of ‘national security’
An inspector authorized by the censorship agency may also enter and search premises without a warrant when they are trying to halt an unauthorized film screening or publication.
Is the shutting down of Chinese LinkedIn the end of foreign big tech’s engagement with China?
What are the reasons behind Microsoft's decision to leave China? Product failure? China' newly enacted data security law? or the proposing algorium law?
Chinese citizen journalist held incommunicado after COVID reporting reappears
Chinese citizen journalist Chen Qiushi has returned. But other citizen journalists covering the COVID-19 outbreak in China are still missing. Among them Zhang Zhan has been sentenced to four years imprisonment.
Behind Chinese Wikipedia user ban: threats, verbal attacks and election canvassing
The Foundation explained that the radical steps were taken as "some users have been physically harmed" as a result of the 'exposure of personal information to users in mainland China.'
Chinese netizens identify the Weibo supervisor system as a source of arbitrary censorship
Each Weibo supervisor filed an average of 4,472 censorship reports in July 2021. The top performer would have to file 700 complaints per day and 70 reports per hour.
The evil of banal censorship
Images of peaceful protesters do not fit the narrative that continues to portray the protesters as violent, irrational and emotional.
Journalists call for the release of Cheng Lei who has spent a year in detention in China
"We are concerned about the chilling affect her arrest has on the practice of journalism, which has never been more critical."
What has Hong Kong lost one year after the National Security Law was enacted?
Hongkongers have lost the right to attend public protests and assemblies; Apple Daily, Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy publication has been shut down; and numerous civic groups have been dissolved.
Hong Kong digital news outlet Stand News removes articles and suspends subscriptions following Apple Daily closure
Pro-democracy digital news outlet Stand News has announced it will remove opinion articles it published before May and stop accepting donations to reduce risks under the national security law.
Security police interventions force closure of Apple Daily, Hong Kong's 26-year-old pro-democracy news outlet
In its inaugural editorial, Apple Daily had stated: "Are we not afraid of the changes 1997 could bring about? We are, but we are not willing to be daunted by fear."
Pro-democracy Apple Daily continues its operations despite raid, seizures and arrests
Among the five senior executives arrested, two were officially charged with with conspiracy to collude with external elements on June 18
Hong Kong's pro-Beijing camp wants to ‘get rid of’ pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily
The call for a purge of Hong Kong's critical press comes as Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 1 year and 2 months in prison.
Chinese patriotic YouTuber apologizes after criticizing propaganda and corruption
"In our village, the forest land has not been distributed. It is so full of corruption!"
China blocks Clubhouse after netizens discuss Xinjiang and Tiananmen
For a brief moment in time, Clubhouse cracked the Great Firewall.
China shuts down its most popular piracy website—is it just about copyright?
Netizens wonder whether the crackdown had something to do with Xi Jinping’s ideological battle against "Western values."
Hong Kong to launch real-name registration of mobile SIM cards
If the bill passes, mobile companies would have to set up a database with their subscribers' data, which they'd have to store for at least 12 months after the SIM expires.
A Hong Kong reporter's account of the crackdown on press freedom under the national security law
"What we are facing now is not just the survival of Apple Daily but the whole independent media sector."
A Chinese city withdraws ‘civility code’ following online criticism
Suzhou – a Chinese city near Shanghai – launched a “civility code” in early September to rank citizens’ civility. As negative comments flooded in, the city called an end to the testing.
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law
Upon his arrest, Hong Kong police raided the office building of his news outlets.