søndag 8. august 2021

Chinese regulators eye unruly online fans and pop culture shows as their next crackdown targets

Chinese internet and media regulators are pledging to come down hard on "unhealthy" online fan groups as supporters of pop star Kris Wu took to social media to vehemently defend him against allegations of rape.  The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection — the ruling Chinese Communist Party's disciplinary watchdog — said Thursday that the Cyberspace Administration of China, the internet regulator, has shut down 1,300 fan groups, disabled 4,000 online accounts, and removed more than 150,000 "toxic" remarks in a recent crackdown against "unhealthy" celebrity fan culture.

"The chaos in celebrity fan clubs, exposed by the 'Kris Wu' incident, reflects that bad fan culture has reached a critical moment that must be corrected," the agency said, adding that "fan club" culture is "crazy" and "devil-possessed."  "We must cut off the black hand of the capital — and curb the wild growth of the entertainment industry, " the agency said.