China has intensified efforts to clean up the internet of fake news and rumours, closing more than 100,000 online accounts that misrepresented news anchors and media agencies over the past month.

Its cyberspace regulator announced on Monday that the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) launched a special campaign to clean up online information, focusing on social media accounts that disseminate “fake news’’ and impersonate state-controlled media.

The regulator said it had wiped 107,000 accounts of counterfeit news units and news anchors and 835,000 pieces of fake news information since April 6.

The cleanup comes as China and countries grapple with an online onslaught of fake news coverage, with many implementing laws to punish culprits.

However, news dissemination on Chinese social media is already heavily controlled, with platforms like Twitter-like Weibo favouring topic hashtags produced by state media.

It censored hashtags on issues or incidents considered sensitive by Beijing, even if they go viral.

The CAC said its review found accounts disguised as authoritative news media by falsifying news studio scenes and imitating professional news presenters, using artificial intelligence (AI) to create anchors to mislead the public.

Fake news identified covered hot topics such as social incidents and international current affairs, according to a statement the CAC posted earlier on its website.

“(The CAC) will guide online platforms to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the majority of internet users to obtain authoritative and real news,’’ the regulator said, adding that it encouraged users to provide leads on fake news and anchors.

China’s government has regularly ordered sweeping measures to scrub the internet of material and language it deemed inappropriate, offensive and a threat to the public and businesses.

Recently, the CAC vowed to crack down on malicious online comments damaging businesses and entrepreneurs’ reputations.

Nascent generative AI technology like ChatGPT has introduced another layer of caution.

China recently arrested a man in Gansu province for allegedly using ChatGPT to generate a fake story about a train crash.

(Reuters/NAN)