The Chinese government has a reputation for its periodic crackdown on all things internet. In the latest effort, Twitter users in China are being interrogated for posting content critical of the government.
One Twitter user in China was reportedly interrogated by the police for eight hours, while some users faced threats and even detention for days after posting critical messages. The users are asked to delete critical posts or their accounts.
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The Chinese police, in a sharp escalation of the country’s online censorship efforts, are questioning and detaining a growing number of Twitter users even though the social media platform is blocked in China and the vast majority of people in the country cannot see it, the New York Times reported.
While it remains off limits for people in China, official media outlets like the Communist Party-controlled People’s Daily newspaper and the Xinhua news agency have used Twitter to shape perceptions of the country in the rest of the world.
The crackdown is said to be part of President Xi Jinping’s campaign to censor content posted online in the country, Cnet said.
Twitter is currently banned in China, however, people use software to access the popular microblogging site. It is estimated that only about 0.4 percent of China’s users access Twitter. However, given the potent nature of the platform, it often fuels political debate and discussion in the country.
(With ANI inputs)