Since the beginning of 2022, discordant factors in the mainland Internet public opinion field have risen, and some extreme remarks and inflammatory information have appeared from time to time. Erroneous ideas such as nationalism and historical nihilism have also spread through the Internet, affecting the judgment and rational thinking of netizens to a certain extent.
NetEase, Toutiao, Baidu, Douyin, Tencent and other five major Internet platforms have recently issued statements, saying that they will intensify efforts to crack down on this kind of illegal online content and jointly create a clear and orderly online environment.
This action stems from the fact that certain people with ulterior motives have used cyberspace to spread disinformation, distort historical facts, and create and incite ethnic antagonism in the past period. They wantonly spread offensive and inflammatory remarks on the Internet, such as the so-called "eat China" and "XX people yy", causing a bad influence on public opinion.
In view of this, it is incumbent upon major Internet companies, as producers and managers of online content, to stand up and assume their due social responsibilities, rectify online chaos through technical governance and platform regulation, supervise online dissemination, guide netizens to establish a correct view of history and country, and maintain harmony and stability in cyberspace.
In the face of increasingly antagonistic emotions and erroneous ideas on the Internet, what measures have mainstream platforms such as NetEase, Toutiao, Baidu, Douyin, and Tencent taken to control online chaos, and what are the specific results? In terms of technical supervision, Toutiao said that it will use artificial intelligence and other technical means to automatically identify and filter harmful content such as incitement to prevent the widespread spread of such information.
Real-time keyword monitoring will also become one of the important means, and once suspected violating content is detected, the platform can quickly activate the response mechanism. In terms of account rectification, NetEase announced that it will seriously deal with and permanently ban all illegal user accounts that publish excessive and inappropriate remarks.
Other platforms have also said they will severely punish accounts that disseminate incitement to text, images or videos. The strict real-name system is also conducive to the traceability management of accounts. Content cleanup is one of the biggest initiatives of the platform in the future.
Tencent, for example, said it would increase the number of content moderators to comprehensively clean up text, pictures, videos and other content related to illegal information such as inciting ethnic antagonism, and take measures such as deletion to allow users to re-establish a sense of security.
In addition to taking the initiative to clean up, Douyin also called on users to actively report negative incitement information on the platform, and the platform will first hide the content that does violate the rules, and permanently ban the relevant illegal accounts as appropriate. The smooth reporting channel will also help improve the supervision efficiency of the platform.
Platforms such as Baidu have also said they will exchange information and collaborate with other mainstream websites and establish a content blacklist mechanism so that platforms can block the spread of rumors or harmful information in a timely manner. Synergies between different platforms can help to curb the emergence of incitement and other acts at the root.
In the long run, these measures will help the Internet play a constructive role in the economy and society, become an important platform for people to obtain information, conduct cross-sector exchanges, and create greater value for society. The mainland already has the largest number of Internet users in the world, and the role of the Internet in promoting economic development and social progress is becoming increasingly prominent.
We must be soberly aware that there are also many discordant factors in this shared cyberspace. Maintaining the security and stability of cyberspace has become a major social issue. Internet companies should assume their due social responsibilities and play a key role in the production and dissemination of online content.
In addition to technical supervision, it is also necessary to guide netizens to establish a correct view of history, nationality and country, and to treat different voices with a rational and peaceful attitude. The majority of netizens should also pay attention to starting from themselves, not believing rumors, speaking out rationally, and spreading positive energy.
Only by working together can we build a clear, harmonious and vibrant cyberspace. I believe that through the joint efforts of all sectors of society, we will be able to achieve this common goal.