SIXTY social media accounts will be shut down for disseminating commercial speculation, vulgar content and other reasons, according to a statement released by the Beijing Cyberspace Administration on Wednesday. Seven social media platforms, including Sina Weibo, WeChat, Tecent and Baidu, provided the accounts, most of which dealt with celebrity gossip. Among the list is Zhuo Wei, dubbed as China’s No.1 paparazzo. Having 7 million followers before his Sina Weibo account was shut down, Zhuo is famous for revealing scandals in the Chinese entertainment circle. Some of the other offenses listed by the administration included publishing fake information or releasing personal celebrity information to gain public attention. Some of the information had negative social impacts, it said. Sina Weibo closed 19 accounts that fabricated rumors and damaged other people’s reputation, the platform said in a statement. Other social media platforms also closed several paparazzi accounts. The move came after the implementation of China’s first Cyber Security Law, which stipulates that any person and organization posting online content shall not disseminate violent, obscene or sexual information; create or disseminate false information to disrupt economic or social order; and infringe on the reputation, privacy, intellectual property or other lawful rights and interests of others. The law also states that network operators should stop the transmission of prohibited information. The Beijing administration said Internet service providers should increase their control of information released by users and immediately stop the spread of information deemed illegal. The law will not infringe on privacy or restrict free speech online, the administration said, adding that it targets information made public by Internet users, not personal communications. On Wednesday afternoon, Sina Weibo released a statement that social media is an important platform for communications between celebrities and their fans. Accounts that spread rumors should be shut down to protect the rights of celebrities and Sina Weibo users, it said. In April, Sina Weibo account Liuyishou posted an article saying that two actors — Li Yifeng and Yang Mi — had an extramarital affair. Li’s studio released a statement rejecting the rumor. Although Liuyishou posted an apology, the article had been reposted more than 100,000 times and had damaged the public image of both Li and Yang, the statement said. Many netizens applauded Sina Weibo’s move, decrying some accounts for spreading rumors and gaining profit by hyping up scandals. The People’s Daily published an article in May criticizing the hyping of celebrity gossip. It said that mass media should shoulder “social responsibility and guide society.” With regard to gossip, the mass media should give correct guidance instead of providing a platform for it, said the People’s Daily. In 2013, judicial authorities said for the first time that spreading rumors on the Internet could be punished as a crime of provoking trouble. But that has not deterred some from starting and spreading rumors. “Some rumors not only disturb public order but undermine the core values of society,” said Qiao Xinsheng, professor of law at Wuhan-based Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. (SD-Agencies) | 