China's cyberspace watchdog pledges efforts to foster sound online environment

A seller promotes snacks via livestreaming at a health industry company in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

BEIJING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) will launch multiple campaigns in 2023 with aims to foster a sound online environment, an official with the ministry said Tuesday.

The CAC will step up efforts to regulate the operation of "we media," crack down on internet trolling and help netizens avoid short video addiction, Niu Yibing, deputy head of CAC, said at a press conference.

Targeted measures have been adopted this year to address the problems caused by "we media," which are social media accounts run by individuals to provide information products, such as rumor spreading, malicious speculation and illegal profit-making, Niu added.

The campaigns to be launched will focus on key areas in the online environment, including improving the online business environment, rectifying the information disorder on life service platforms and cleaning up the internet environment for minors during summer vacation, according to Niu.

The CAC carried out 13 campaigns in 2022, dealing with 54.3 million reports of illegal and harmful online content, said Niu.