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Hiding Information: The Communist Regime Intensified Blocking of Internet Messages

The Citizen Lab, according to the description on its website, “is an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto. It focuses on research, development, and high-level strategic policy and legal engagement at the intersection of information and communication technologies, human rights, and global security.”

On March 3, the Citizen Lab published a report indicating that Beijing has intensified internet censorship and blocked many internet postings containing words related to the coronavirus, Xi Jinping, and the Communist Party, to prevent people from making negative comments about the regime.

Its key findings include:

“YY, a live-streaming platform in China, began to censor keywords related to the coronavirus outbreak on December 31, 2019, a day after doctors (including the late Dr. Li Wenliang) tried to warn the public about the then unknown virus.

WeChat broadly censored coronavirus-related content (including critical and neutral information) and expanded the scope of censorship in February 2020. Censored content included criticism of government, rumors and speculative information on the epidemic, references to Dr. Li Wenliang, and neutral references to Chinese government efforts on handling the outbreak that had been reported on state media.

Many of the censorship rules are broad and effectively block messages that include names for the virus or sources for information about it. Such rules may restrict vital communication related to disease information and prevention.”

It also found that Beijing has also blocked messages containing several words, for example, “习近平+疫情蔓延” (Xi Jinping + Epidemic spread), “武漢+中共+危機+北京” (Wuhan + CCP + Crisis + Beijing), “封城+部隊” (Lockdown of a city + Military).

Leadership: The Hype and Stop of the Book, “The Great Power Fights the Epidemic”

The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) Central Propaganda Department created a book called, “The Great Power Fights the Epidemic” (“大国战“疫”——2020中国阻击新冠肺炎疫情进行中”) and was ready to publish it.

According to Xinhua’s report, this book, “with over 2 million Chinese characters, selected materials from (China’s) mainstream media and integrated them together to show the care for the people, the mission, the strategic vision, and the excellent leadership of Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the CCP and leader of a great power. … It objectively tells the truth and the story that China has forcefully and effectively contained the coronavirus epidemic …” The plan was to translate the book into five languages, including English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic.

However, Radio Free Asia reported that people said that it was too early for the CCP to declare victory. Some criticized the CCP for attempting to glorify itself even before it was able to control the coronavirus.

Then, Radio France International reported that people found that the book was taken out of China’s major online stores such as JD, Taobao, and Suning. When inquiries were made to those bookstores the answer received was, “The book is temporarily unavailable.”

Local Government: A Woman Released from Wuhan Prison Went to Beijing

A few days ago, many Chinese media reported the story that a woman who was release from a Wuhan prison came to Beijing on February 22 and was confirmed with coronavirus two days later. People were asking how she managed to come to Beijing.

Hubei Daily, the newspaper under Hubei Provincial Communist Party Committee, reported on February 26 that Ying Yong, Hubei Provincial Party Secretary said it was absolutely not allowed to let such a case that bypassed traffic control happen. Hubei Party Commission for Disciplinary Inspection led the investigation.

On March 2, Beijing News reported the investigation result: Ms. Huang was serving a prison term due to a crime of corruption, at the Wuhan Women’s Prison. On January 29, a guard in her section of the prison was confirmed to have the novel coronavirus infection and Ms. Huang was in close contact with that guard. Ms. Huang finished serving her prison term on February 17, but stayed in the prison for “quarantine observation.” From February 17 to 21,the prison checked her temperature 13 times; twice she had a temperature of 37.3 degree (celcius), which was at the borderline of a coronavirus symptom. On February 21, guards took Ms. Huang to the highway toll booth north of Wuhan to hand her over to her daughter and her daughter’s ex-husband. They then drove her all the way to Beijing on February 22. They managed to pass check points and took Ms. Huang to a residential neighborhood in Beijing.

The investigation team took action against several mid-level officials. It put the head of Hubei Provincial Judicial Department under further investigation; removed the head of Hubei Provincial Prison Bureau from his post and put him under further investigation and put the head of the Wuhan Prison, who had been removed from his position earlier due to the outbreak of the coronavirus infection at the prison, under further investigation.

Staff performing coronavirus checks at the entry points to Beijing were also punished.

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