DIGITAL LIFE

Hong Kong: Twitter bans media controlled by Chinese dictatorship

“Hidden and manipulative behaviors have no place in our service - they violate the fundamental principles upon which our company was built,” Twitter said in a statement.
In the same note, the group details that this measure does not cover independent, taxpayer-funded bodies that only engage in entertainment, sport and travel content.
Beijing, which has long complained that the Western press has dominated global discourse and fueled bias against China, has invested billions of dollars in recent years to convince the world that it is a political and cultural success.
Twitter or Facebook have been a central part of this strategy, although they are blocked in China, where the narrative is controlled by the Communist Party, whose Propaganda Department issues guidelines for the media or censor information disseminated on domestic social networks such as Wechat or Weibo
Several foreign media are also blocked on the Chinese Internet, the largest in the world, with about 710 million users.
On the same day, Twitter announced the suspension of 936 accounts from the mainland, which "deliberately and specifically attempted to sow political discord in Hong Kong, including undermining the legitimacy and political positions of protesters."
The company said it suspended accounts based on "reliable evidence" that it was a "state-coordinated operation."
Facebook also said it initiated an investigation after receiving information from Twitter, and removed about 15 pages, groups and accounts that were "associated with the Chinese Government" and also "focused on Hong Kong."
The former British colony is in a climate of social contestation triggered by a proposal to amend the extradition law, which would allow the Government and the courts of the special administrative region to extradite suspected criminals to jurisdictions without prior agreements, as is the case. from mainland China.
Beijing media, including the Xinhua news agency or China Daily and People's Daily, have coordinated a social media campaign to characterize the protests in Hong Kong as violent riots perpetuated by separatists paid for by outside forces.

Daily coverage in the Chinese press shows images of protesters throwing bricks, provoking police and surrounding police stations.
Images of peaceful demonstrations, which have gathered hundreds of thousands of people, of alleged abuses by the authorities, or even the claims of the protests, are omitted.

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