Weibo Rumor Monger "Just Wanted a Book Deal"

Spreading rumors online in China isn't the best idea in the world.  When the Fukushima nuclear plant went into meltdown in 2011, messages spread throughout Weibo that salt, which contained trace elements of iodine would prevent radiation sickness.  Panic buying ensued, one woman died of kidney failure in Zhejiang, and one man was sentenced to 10 days in prison for spreading the advice in the first place.

The Chinese government have been trying to crackdown (again) on people using online media to spread unconfirmed reports, and get a grip on the news that should, by rights, come from the state-controlled agency, Xinhua.  It seems fairly unsurprising that an attention whore like Qin Huo Huo, whoo kicked off his love affair with Weibo by posting an animated GIF of himself performing a striptease, was arrested and his Weibo account was blocked.  Qin explained that he just wanted all the attention so that a publisher would sign a lucrative book deal with him.  To drive the message home, a 10 page editorial was dedicated to his rise and fall at the hands of hardworking government officials.

Talks were held between government officials and several influential bloggers earlier this month, with a view to getting Weibo users in line.  “They shall set an example of protecting the legal rights of citizens and denouncing any activities that harm the reputation and interests of other people," Lu Wei, director of the State Internet Information Office, as saying in indirect speech.

In spite of arrests, fines, real name registration systems, and now the soft sell of asking online celebs to lead by example, no one seems to be taking online regulation seriously in China right now.

 

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