China steps up drive against cyberbullying, fake news, online scams during Lunar New Year holiday

China’s cyberspace watchdog has initiated a new campaign to sweep out unwanted internet content – from doxxing, fake news and fabricated sad personal stories to those that flaunt wealth, fortunetelling and binge-eating – during the Lunar New Year holiday, as the Omicron variant outbreak dampens travel and prompts more people to stay online at home.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), which launched the month-long campaign on Saturday, said the action was taken to ensure a “healthy, festive and peaceful” online environment during this annual holiday, according to the regulator’s announcement on Tuesday. The agency said it will name and shame offending online platforms and accounts as a deterrent.

The move comes as the government implements renewed curbs against the Covid-19 pandemic, which has disrupted Spring Festival reunions and travel plans for many among the world’s biggest internet population.

The Spring Festival travel season, known as chunyun in China, represents the biggest annual human migration on earth. Before the pandemic, it was the time when hundreds of millions of people travel across the country by rail, road, plane and, in some cases, on foot, to reunite with their families in their hometowns for the Lunar New Year.