China’s most popular messaging app has been censoring key words about the coronavirus outbreak from as early as January 1, a report has found.
Toronto-based research group Citizen Lab found that WeChat blocked combinations of keywords and criticism of President Xi Jinping, BBC reported yesterday.
The report also found that WeChat, owned by Chinese firm Tencent, blocked more words as the outbreak grew.
This report, cited by BBC, suggests China began censoring discussions weeks before officials began acknowledging the severity of the outbreak.
It was on December 31 that China first alerted the World Health Organization to an outbreak of a new coronavirus in Wuhan.
But authorities initially withheld information from the public – under-reporting the number of people infected, downplaying the risks, and failing to provide timely information that could have saved lives.
According to BBC, WeChat was found to have censored 132 keyword combinations in January. As the outbreak continued, it censored 384 new keywords between February 1-15.
No Comments