Archives for February 2021

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Ma Xiaolin frequently wrote about current affairs on one of China’s leading microblogging sites, where he has 2 million followers. But recently, he said in a post, the Weibo site called and asked him not to post original content on topics ranging from politics to economic and military issues.

“As an international affairs researcher and a columnist, it looks like I can only go the route of entertainment, food and beverage now,” the international relations professor wrote on Jan. 31.

Ma, who often posted on developments in the Mideast, is one of many popular influencers working within the constraints of China’s heavily censored web who is finding that their space to speak is shrinking even further with the latest policy changes and a clean-up campaign run by the country’s powerful censors. He declined an interview request.

Beginning next week, the Cyberspace Administration of China will require bloggers and influencers to have a government-approved credential before they can publish on a wide range of subjects. Some fear that only state media and official propaganda accounts will get permission. While permits have been needed since at least 2017 to write about topics such as political and military affairs, enforcement has not been widespread. The new rules expand that requirement to health, economics, education and judicial matters.

“The regulators want to control the entire procedure of information production,” said Titus Chen, an expert in Chinese social media policy at National Sun Yat-Sen University in Taiwan.

The latest move is in line with ever more restrictive regulations under President Xi Jinping that constrict an already narrow space for discourse. The Chinese leader has made “digital sovereignty” a central concept of his rule, under which authorities have set limits and increased control of the digital realm.

The new credential requirement could restrict individuals from posting original content, including people like Ma who aren’t openly challenging the line of Xi’s ruling Communist Party. Weibo CEO Wang Gaofei, responding to Ma on the platform, said commentary on news released by official media was permitted but commentators could not “release news” themselves.

The policy revision is meant “to standardize and steer public accounts and information service platforms to be more self aware in keeping the correct direction of public opinion,” according to a statement posted by the Cyberspace Administration.

A week after unveiling the new rules in late January, the administration held a nationwide conference on the importance of “strengthening order in online publishing.” The head of the agency, Zhuang Rongwen, said the agency must “let our supervision and management grow teeth.”

On Feb. 4, the agency publicly announced a month-long clean-up drive targeting search engines, social media platforms and browsers. Such campaigns, in which companies take steps to meet government demands, aren’t new, but enforcement was looser in the past: In 2017, Weibo backed off after complaints it was lumping gay content in with a pornography ban.

It appears to be happening in concurrence with a crackdown to enforce existing rules.

“It is a big deal, it’s a massive campaign,” said Xiao Qiang, an expert on digital censorship at the University of California at Berkeley. “And these are people who didn’t write something sharp. They are intentionally not being edgy about things.”

A notice on Sohu in January, which also hosts microblogs, said public accounts without credentials must not issue or republish current affairs news. Banned topics include “articles and commentary on politics, economics, military affairs, diplomatic and public affairs; Taking out of context and distorting the content of the Party and country’s history; breaking news and commentary.” Internet giant Baidu, which also has a publishing platform, issued a similar notice.

It is unclear to what extent bloggers will be punished if they publish commentary without the credentials.

A current affairs account on Tencent’s WeChat messaging app was shut down last week on “suspicion of providing an internet news information service.” Called “August Old Yu,” it was run by Yu Shenghong, a former journalist at state broadcaster CCTV, He did not respond to a request for comment.

Representatives of Baidu, Sohu, Weibo and Tencent did not respond to requests for comment. The Cyberspace Administration did not respond to a faxed request.

The coronavirus pandemic appears to have in part spurred the tightened regulations. In the early days of China’s outbreak much of the news coverage was driven by online accounts and digital-only media outlets which circulated both news and rumors.

During the pandemic, “‘self-media’ maliciously created rumors and casually disregarded others’ privacy, severely impacting the stability and harmony of society and damaged the legal rights and interest of others,” the Cyberspace Administration said in a notice explaining the new policies.

Ultimately, the new rules reflect the censors’ worries, even if it isn’t precisely clear what they are so insecure about, said Berkeley’s Xiao.

“In the past entire year, the control has been so tight that hardly anyone can speak about anything,” Xiao said.

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Fu reported from Bangkok.

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Google is quickly negotiating generous deals with big and small Australian media companies to pay for news as lawmakers consider forcing digital giants into such agreements, Australia’s treasurer said Wednesday.

Seven West Media on Monday became the largest Australian news media business to strike a deal with Google to pay for journalism. Its rival Nine Entertainment is reportedly close to announcing its own agreement.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg confirmed that state-owned Australian Broadcasting Corp. is also in negotiations and plans to spend any Google revenue on regional journalism.

“There are negotiations going on with all the major players and the minor players at the moment,” Frydenberg said. “This will help sustain public interest journalism in this country for years to come.”

Frydenberg said “none of these deals would be happening” if not for proposed legislation to create a so-called News Media Bargaining Code.

Lawmakers were debating amended legislation to create the code in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The code would create an arbitration panel to set a binding price for news in cases where Google and Facebook fail to reach deals with media companies whose original journalism they link to.

“Everything that I have heard from parties, both in the news media business and in terms of digital platforms, is that these are generous deals,” Frydenberg said.

“These are fair deals. These are good deals. These are good deals for the Australian media businesses,” he added.

Google and Facebook, which take a combined 81% of online advertising in Australia, have condemned the code as unworkable.

Google says it might make its search engine unavailable in Australia if the code is introduced. Facebook said it might block Australians from sharing news if the platform has to pay for news.

Frydenberg said after weekend talks with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google, that he was convinced the platforms “do want to enter into these commercial arrangements.”

Frydenberg denied he had given ground to Zuckerberg and Pichai by agreeing to amend the legislation.

“We have held the line and held it strongly,” Frydenberg said. “And the digital giants have been left in no doubt about the . . . government’s resolve.”

Google confirmed it was “in discussions with publishers large and small.” Facebook is also seeking news deals, but said it didn’t have “anything to confirm at this time.”

The Australian deals with Google are being negotiated under Google’s own model, News Showcase. The company has reached pay deals with more than 450 publications globally since it launched News Showcase in October.

Investment bank JPMorgan estimated that Seven West Media could receive between 39.5 million Australian dollars ($30.6 million) and AU$69.2 million ($53.6 million) a year from its content deal with Google based on an analysis of similar deals in France.

Nine signed a letter of intent with Google for a deal worth more than AU$30 million ($23 million) a year for five years, The Sydney Morning Herald, which is owned by Nine, reported.

The newspaper cited anonymous industry sources familiar with the negotiations who could not speak publicly because of confidentiality agreements.

Nine said in a statement it was having “constructive discussions” with Google and Facebook.

Google announced two weeks ago that it had begun paying seven far smaller Australian websites under News Showcase. Prices have not been revealed.

Facebook has a comparable product called Facebook News, but it’s not available in Australia.

Some media analysts are surprised that Australian media companies would strike News Showcase deals when they stand to make more money from compulsory arbitration under the government’s code.

Frydenberg suggested that Google’s threat to quit Australia had receded as the “speed of these negotiations has picked up.”

“We have sought to keep the major players in Australia,” Frydenberg said. “Google had talked about leaving Australia. We never wanted that to take place. They are an important part of the digital landscape era.”

Marcus Strom, president of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, the Australian journalists’ union, said media companies have a moral obligation to revenue from the digital platforms in news gathering.

“Any monies from these deals need to end up in the newsroom, not the boardroom,” Strom said. “We will be pressing the case for transparency on how these funds are spent.”

Google is facing pressure from authorities elsewhere to pay for news. Last month, it signed a deal with a group of French publishers that paves the way for it to make digital copyright payments. Under the agreement, Google will negotiate individual licensing deals with newspapers, with payments based on factors such as the amount published daily and monthly internet site traffic.

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LONDON (AP) — Epic Games said Wednesday it filed an antitrust complaint against Apple with European Union regulators, opening a new front in its war with the tech giant over app store payments.

Epic, which makes the popular video game Fortnite, is locked in a battle with Apple over the app store, which takes a 30% cut from all in-app purchases. When Epic tried last year to bypass the platform with a direct payment system, Apple dropped the Fortnite app from its app store. In return, Epic filed legal challenges in the U.S., Australia and Britain.

In its complaint to the European Commission’s competition watchdog, Epic alleged that Apple’s restrictions have eliminated competition in app distribution and payment. It accused Apple of blocking competitors and abusing its dominant position, in breach of EU rules.

“What’s at stake here is the very future of mobile platforms,” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said in an online post. “We will not stand idly by and allow Apple to use its platform dominance to control what should be a level digital playing field.”

Apple said Epic introduced a payment feature that it did not review or approve, with the intention of violating app store guidelines that apply equally to every developer and are aimed at protecting customers.

“Their reckless behavior made pawns of customers, and we look forward to making this clear to the European Commission,” Apple said in a statement.

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