Weibo, WeChat And Baidu Teiba Under Investigation

Three of China's largest social media companies are currently under investigation for violating cyber security laws in the country. Weibo, WeChat and Baidu Teiba have all been accused by China's Office for Cyberspace Administration of failing to correctly police content and having “jeopardised national security”. According to the administration, the sites are being used to spread what has been referred to as terrorism-related material, rumours and obscenities. Recently, China has closed more than sixty gossip sites, and blocked the use of many VPNs in the country. Following the decision to place Weibo, WeChat and Baidu Teiba under investigation, it is expected that all websites in China will begin policing their sites more effectively for fear of being closed as well. China was ranked as being the worst country in the world for internet freedom in a 2016 report by Freedom House. 

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