China to bring ’emergency’ level censorship on zero-Covid protests: Report | World news

Chinese authorities have initiated the highest “emergency response” level of censorship, according to leaked directives, a report said. The measures will include a crackdown on VPNs and other methods of circumventing online censorship following unprecedented protests against the country’s zero-Covid policy, the Guardian reported.

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The crackdown, along with the tracking and questioning of protesters, comes alongside the easing of pandemic restrictions in the country. This week, protests against zero-Covid restrictions included criticism of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The report cites leaked leads posted to online Kannada platforms, first published by a Twitter account dedicated to sharing related information.

The guidelines reveal specific concerns of the authorities about the growing interest among citizens in navigating what China calls the “Great Wall”. The demonstrations have been tightly controlled, but protesters and other citizens have used VPNs to access non-Kannada news and social media applications that have been banned in China.

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In the directives, managers have also been ordered to take a “hands-on approach” and strengthen content management to quickly identify, address and report information about what it calls “offline disturbances” and “recent high-profile events in many areas”.

“Harmful political issues appear in Shanghai; college and university students held overtly political rallies; smears by foreign media abound; and many websites have strengthened their content management,” the Guide listed as examples of events that need to be managed.