The Chinese government is tightening restrictions on freedom of speech and targeting prominent influencers and their followers.
On Wednesday, The Guardian reported a story about a Chinese university student, Duan, who used a virtual private network (VPN) to bypass China’s internet censorship system, the Great Firewall (GFW). He then downloaded the social media platform Discord. He joined a community on Discord, where thousands of members discussed political issues like democracy, anarchism, and communism and even held mock elections. He discovered this community through Yang Minghao’s YouTube channel. Both YouTube and Discord are banned in China.
Following his activities, Duan and several community members were investigated by the police. The police interrogated him about his relationship with Yang Minghao, how he used the VPN, and the comments he made during a 24-hour detainment. Although Duan was released after the investigation, Yang Minghao’s safety is not guaranteed. Yang has not posted any new content on his blog since late July. The Guardian noted that this incident signals a worsening of China’s internet censorship. Following the accounts expressing negative views about the Chinese government could catch a charge.
Chinese internet authorities strictly monitor online content. Last year, a man called Ning Bin received a two-year sentence for posting false information on X and Pincong, a Chinese-language forum. A well-known pro-government commentator and former editor of the Global Times, Hu Xijin, reportedly faced a ban on social media after posting content that contradicted the Chinese government’s views. Other popular Chinese influencers, including Wang Zhian, have also faced police investigations this year. Maya Wang, Chinese associate China director at Human Rights Watch, stated, “I don’t think I’ve seen followers of influencers being questioned to this extent in the past.”
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