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One of China's most popular Twitter-like sites, Sina Weibo,announced a new penalty system to temporarily close and shut downthe accounts of users found spreading untrue or harmfulinformation. The new rules announced on Tuesday are part of a larger government-backed effort to control sensitive political talk on the nation's microblogging platforms.Authorities have even detained users for allegedly fabricatingonline rumors, some of which occurred following the downfall ofChinese politician Bo Xilai, who has been linked to suspectedcorruption and the murder of a British businessman. Sina Weibo already heavily regulates content on the site, blockingsensitive search terms and shutting down users accounts for thespreading of so-called rumors. The site defined new rules onTuesday that will take effect for its more than 300 millionregistered users on May 28. The company is introducing the rules toexplain how to use the service properly, said Sina spokesman Liu Qion Wednesday. "This will help standardize what activities areappropriate," he added. Under the new rules, harmful information can include spreadingrumors, opposing the principles of the Chinese constitution, andinciting the illegal assembly of meetings or demonstrations. Users,who deliberately spread harmful information, will be blocked fromposting for more than 48 hours, and could see their accountsclosed. In addition, the rules also penalize users for posting untrueinformation, which can include exaggerations when describing actualevents, or posting an opinion along with the truth that is taken asfact. In the most severe cases, where the untrue information has beenre-posted 1,000 times, the users will be banned from postingcontent for 15 days, and be docked 10 credibility points from theiraccount. A committee assembled from Sina Weibo users, who areexperts in their field, will judge whether the content posted isuntrue. Sina Weibo is asking users for feedback on the new rules, which arestill in their trial stages. Some users posted, stating that it wasimportant for the site to fight against fraudulent activities. Butothers have complained that the rules violates user rights."Freedom of speech is what the (Chinese) constitution says. Sina Ithink you need to have a group study on the constitution," wroteone user , with the screen name translated as troubled orphan. The new rules were announced following Sina Weibo's ongoingimplementation of a government required real-name system , where only verified users will be allowed to publish posts on thesite. Last month, the site's operating company, Sina, issued astock exchange filing that said the company could face severe punishment from theChinese government because the site has yet to fully implement thereal-name system. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Lanyard Attachments Manufacturer , Checkpoint Security Tag, and more. For more , please visit Conference Name Badge Holders today!
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