China through its cyberspace regulator said it has intensified efforts to clean up the internet from false news and rumours, closing more than 100,000 online accounts over the past month.
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
The cleanup takes place as China and other nations battle an internet false news onslaught, with many enacting legislation to punish offenders.
The regulator claimed that since April 6th, it had deleted 835,000 pieces of fake news information and 107,000 accounts of fake news anchors and news units.
“(The CAC) will guide online platforms … to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the majority of internet users to obtain authoritative and real news,” the regulator said, adding it encouraged users to provide leads on counterfeit news and anchors.
According to the CAC, its investigation turned up accounts that had impersonated reputable news presenters and news studio settings while utilising artificial intelligence (AI) to generate fake anchors in order to mislead the audience.
