After CCTV Names Lhasa China's "Happiest City," Sina Weibo Bans Searches for "Self-Immolations"


On August  21, 2012, Xinhua reported that according to a survey by the state-sponsored China Central Television, Lhasa topped the list of "the happiest cities in China in 2012."

This screenshot was taken on August 31, 2012, and shows that a search on Sina Weibo for "Self-Immolations" returned no results, just a notice saying that "In accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies, search results for "Self-Immolations cannot be displayed." (根据相关法律法规和政策，“自焚”搜索结果未予显示).

This censorship began some time after August 23. Prior to that Sina was deleting individual posts mentioning self-immolations, but was not blocking all searches for the term.
Screenshots showing search results for "Aba Self-Immolations."

Popular posts from this blog

Translation: Court Judgment in Wang Aizhong Political Tweeting Case

Translator's Notes: I have translated the crime that Wang Aizhong was convicted of (寻衅滋事罪) as "disturbing the peace." Other translators use "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." The court did not specify what Wang Aizhong shared on social media that disturbed the peace.  Here are his last three tweets that he posted prior to his detention on May 28: On May 26, Wang retweeted a post by the New York Times linking to the Chinese language version of an article titled " Biden Orders Intelligence Inquiry Into Origins of Virus ." On May 26, Wang posted "Someone logged into my telegram account. Their attacks on private communication software and surveillance is getting more and more insane. On May 24, Wang quote tweeted a post by the Wall Street Journal to the Chinese language version of an article titled "Belarus Faces EU Flight Ban for Grounding Ryanair Plane With Dissident." Wang added "Some folks really have guts. Certain other co
Read more

Certain Provisions on the Regulation of Internet Information Service Market Order

Article 1. In order to regulate Internet information service market order, safeguard the provision of Internet information services and users' legal rights and interests, and promote the healthy development of the Internet industry, these provisions are hereby formulated in accordance with the provisions of the "Telecommunications Regulations of the People's Republic of China," the "Measures on the Administration of Internet Information Services," and other laws and administrative regulations and provisions. Article 2. Anyone who engages in Internet information services or activities relating to Internet information services in the People's Republic of China shall obey these provisions. Article 3. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the communication administrations of the provinces, autonomous regions, and metropolitan areas (hereinafter referred to as "Telecommunication Administration Agencies") shall oversee and admi
Read more

Baidu and Sina Censor Information About Yanhuang Chunqiu Magazine and Former Editor Du Daozheng

Image
See also: Baidu Censors Diary of Du Daozheng - Former Head of China's Book Censorship Agency   These screenshots were taken on July 15, 2016, and show that Baidu was restricting search results for “炎黄春秋” (Yanhuang Chunqiu, lit. (“The Spring and Autumn Annals of the Emperors Yan and Huang”)) to websites operated by the central government and Communist Party (and Baidu's own Wikipedia clone). This screenshot was also taken on July 15, 2016, and shows that when a user searches for "Yanhuang Chunqiu" on Sina Weibo they are told that "In accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies, search results for ''Yanhuang Chunqiu' have not been displayed." On July 17, 2016, the state-sponsored Global Times published an article entitled “ Liberal Journal Opposes Editorial Board Shake-up .” Some excerpts: The editorial board of Yanhuang Chunqiu, a liberal monthly journal known for bold discussions on politics and history, was recently r
Read more