File photo: IC

Shanghai recently has launched a special campaign targeting against cyberbullying and toxic fan culture, vowing to crack down on accounts that use AI to spread rumors, engage in malicious doxxing, or organize online feuds and incite harassment, according to the Cyberspace Administration of Shanghai Municipality. 

The campaign comes as the city hosts a series of major sporting events, performances and entertainment activities, with online traffic highly concentrated around the sports, cultural and entertainment sectors, making cyberbullying and toxic fan culture more frequent and prone to occur. 

In the sports sector, municipal authorities will target malpractices including pitting fans against each other, inciting online conflicts, violating personal privacy and spreading rumors or launching personal attacks.

In the entertainment sector, the campaign will crack down on practices such as manipulating rankings and comments, encouraging minors to spend money on fan support activities, and stalking or harassing celebrities.

For performances, authorities will focus on illegal ticket-related promotion and traffic generation, spreading rumors and defamation, fan-group infighting, and inciting offline conflicts. 

Authorities will also urge online platforms to strengthen their moderation measures, with a particular focus on "fan leaders" and their affiliated multi-channel networks (MCNs) that organize online feuds, incite cyberbullying or encourage fundraising, according to China News Agency.

Platforms will also be urged to introduce tools to help users combat cyberbullying, including one-click protection and bulk evidence collection, while adding pop-up reminders and notices promoting civilized behavior when watching sporting events and performances. Offline ticketing platforms and venues will also be encouraged to display reminders promoting civilized conduct on screens, China News Agency reported. 

An official with the Cyberspace Administration of the Shanghai Municipal Committee said that cyberspace is not beyond the reach of the law. During the campaign, Shanghai will adopt a coordinated governance approach involving multiple government departments, online platforms and offline venues, while strengthening the responsibilities of website and platform operators, according to the Cyberspace Administration of Shanghai Municipality.

Relevant authorities will take strict measures in accordance with the law against operators and MCN organizations that repeatedly violate regulations or continue to engage in misconduct, in a bid to curb the spread of toxic fan culture across sectors and platforms and protect the legitimate rights and interests of internet users, particularly minors, the official said. 

The campaign, which began on Saturday and will run through mid-October, is jointly carried out by the Cyberspace Administration of the Shanghai Municipal Committee, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, and the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau.