BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s cyber regulator has launched a hotline to report online comments defaming the ruling Communist Party and its history, promising to crack down on “historic nihilists” ahead of the party’s 100th anniversary in July.
The line of advice allows people to report Internet colleagues who “distort” the party’s history, attack its leadership and policies, defame national heroes and “deny the excellence of advanced socialist culture” online, according to a notice published by an arm of the Cyberspace Administration. China (CAC) on Friday.
“Some with subsequent reasons … have spread nihilistic historical distortions online, distorting, denigrating and denying the history of the Party,” the statement said.
“We hope that most internet users will actively play their part in monitoring society … and enthusiastically report harmful information,” he said.
“Historical nihilism” is a phrase used in China to describe public doubt and skepticism about the Chinese Communist Party’s description of past events.
China’s Internet is heavily censored and most foreign social networks, search engines and news are banned in the country.
Internet authorities often increase censorship and online surveillance before major events, including historical anniversaries, political meetings and sporting events.
The notification did not specify what penalties will be applied to people who are reported through the helpline, but Chinese netizens are already facing jail and other legal penalties for posting content that is critical to the county’s leadership, policies and history.
The legal amendments launched earlier this year stipulate that people who “insult, slander the violation” of the memory of China’s national heroes and martyrs face up to three years in prison.
Authorities in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province detained a 19-year-old man last week after making “offensive” comments online about the 1937 Japanese occupation of Nanjing.
Chinese social networking sites that fail to censor critical content also face financial sanctions as well as temporary suspensions of services under current legislation.
Reporting by Cate Cadell; Montage by Kim Coghill