China threatens jail time for online rumour mongering - Action News
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China threatens jail time for online rumour mongering

China's latest measures cracking down on internet use threaten three years in jail if untrue social media posts are widely reposted, with the rules unveiled today drawing an angry response from web surfers.

New measures punish web users who post false info that gets widely circulated

China unveiled tough measurestoday to stop the spread of what the government calls irresponsible rumours, threatening three years in jail if untrue posts online are widely reposted.

The movedrew an angry response from internet users

China is in the middle ofyet another crackdownon what it terms "online rumours," as the government tries to rein in social media, increasingly used by Chinese people to discuss politics despite stringent censorship.

According to a judicial interpretation issued by China's top court and prosecutor, people will be charged with defamation if online rumours they create are visited by 5,000 internet users or reposted more than 500 times.

Iran ministers open Facebook pages

Iran's entire cabinet has opened Facebook pages in what is seen as a move toward greater government openness, even though the social media site is blocked in the Islamic Republic.

The Facebook pages of 15 ministers could be viewed in Tehran through a proxy server. Newspapers on Monday hinted the move might herald the lifting of some internet barriers.

With the exception of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who joined Facebook in 2009, the cabinet members signed up this August after the inauguration of centrist- and reformist-backed President Hasan Rouhani.

"It seems the `key"' -- Rouhani's electoral symbol in his presidential campaign -- "may turn the lock of [internet] filtering," the pro-reform Shargh daily said.

Rouhani's office has also opened a page on Facebook that was "liked" by all the ministers.

Saeed Leilaz, a Tehran-based political analyst, said it was likely the start of the lifting of internet "filters," which block specific sites.

The Associated Press

That could lead to three years in jail, state media reported, citing the judicial document. That is the standard sentence for defamation.

State-run China Central Television said "illegal online activities" have "increased dramatically" now that more Chinese citizens are using smartphones and have access to the internet. "There have been a series of incidents where online users spread rumours disrupting public order. Using the internet as a platform for defamation has become widespread," the broadcaster reported.

Sun Jungong,a spokeperson for China'shighest court, said: "People have been hurt and reaction in society has been strong, demanding with one voice serious punishment by the law for criminal activities like using the internet to spread rumours and defame people.

"No country would consider the slander of other people as 'freedom of speech,' " Sun said at a news conference, carried live by the People's Daily website.

The interpretation also set out what is considered a "serious case" of spreading false information or rumours online, including those that cause mental anguish to the subjects of rumours.

Other serious cases involve the spreading of false information that causes protests, ethnic or religious unrest, or has a "bad international effect."

Users of China's popular Twitter-like Sina Weibo microblogging site expressed anger about the new rules.

"It's far too easy for something to be reposted 500 times or get 5,000 views. Who is going to dare say anything now?" wrote one Weibo user.

"This interpretation is against the constitution and is robbing people of their freedom of speech," wrote another.

State media have reported dozens of detentions in recent weeks as the government pushes a crackdown on the spreading of rumours.

The campaign comes as President Xi Jinping's newly installed government steps up its harassment of dissidents, showing no sign of wanting to loosen the Communist Party's grip on power.

China says it has a genuine need to stop the spread of irresponsible rumours, pointing to some of what authorities say are patently ridiculous things said online of late, including a story that a soup made from dead babies had gone on sale in Guangdong province.