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24/11/2021

China Is Cracking Down On Celebrity Information On The Internet As Part Of A Fan Culture Crackdown




Chinese authorities will further tighten monitoring over how celebrity information is circulated online, including the publication of personal details and the placement of adverts on websites, said the country’s cyberspace regulator earlier this week.
 
The aim of the tighter regulation was to create a pleasant and healthy online environment, said the Chinese Cyberspace Administration (CAC), as the regulator cited the proliferation and spread of gossip and celebrity seeking as having a negative influence on mainstream values.
 
The regulator further informed that it would develop a "negative list" that would target online celebrity content that promoted undesirable ideals such as conspicuous riches, as well as any attempts to get followers to donate money to celebrities.
 
Online platforms should explicitly indicate celebrity sponsorships and marketing in the content that appears on such platforms, according to the directions of the CAC, which also added that websites will also require fan groups to be effectively be controlled by agents authorized by the company.
 
In recent times, there has been a succession of celebrity scandals in the county that included tax evasion and sexual assault. Such scandals have been termed as the country's "chaotic" celebrity fan culture and it has been sought to be curbed by Chinese authorities as it urged broadcasters, internet platforms, and artists to assist in controlling the ill phenomena.
 
In China, there has been a proliferation of online celebrity fan clubs which have grown in popularity, with local publication The Paper estimating that the country's "idol economy" will be worth 140 billion yuan ($22 billion) by 2022. Such online fan clubs have however been chastised for the power that they can wield over children.
 
In the incident of Kris Wu, a Canadian-Chinese pop artist, who was jailed by Beijing police in July on suspicion of sexual assault, his fans came out their millions to defend him on social media. The majority of these fan accounts, as well as Wu's internet accounts, were eventually deactivated.
 
A list of 88 persons prohibited from live-streaming was issued by The China Association of Performing Arts earlier on Tuesday, including Wu, over charges of such individuals violating ethical norms of the Chinese society.
 
Actors and other entertainers in China have also been warned that if they do not obey moral norms, they would be blacklisted.
 
(Source:www.asahi.com)

Christopher J. Mitchell
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