Asia

China Launches Special Online Source to Track Down Fake News

BEIJING (Sputnik) - A national online platform to identify, report and disprove rumors, dubbed Piyao, has started its operation on Thursday in China.
Sputnik

Chinese residents will now be able to check a piece of news against the platform website, its mobile application or social media accounts in WeChat and Weibo to verify whether the news is qualified as accurate.

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A total of 27 different government bodies, including China's National Development and Reform Committee, will administer the platform.

According to the authorities, the platform is aimed to clear the cyberspace of rumors and fake information which negatively affect public opinion and sentiments.

The Chinese internet is one of the most censored in the world, with Google, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and thousands of other services and websites being banned in the country over freedom of speech restrictions. China's domestic social media and search engines effectively screen politically sensitive content and immediately delete the information regarded as fake.

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