Rumors about food safety, disease and personal safety top list

Rumors about food safety, disease and personal safety have become hot topics concerning Chinese Internet users, according to a recent report released by Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on Wednesday.

The reportwas based on a data survey on the Moments of Wechat, China's most popular instant messaging platform.

Zhang Zhi'an, director of the communication and design college of Sun Yat-sen University, said rumors about food safety, disease and personal safety affected Internet users the most.

"Internet rumors are usually made under the guise of authority, aiming to create public fear and panic," said Zhang.

Saturday is the peak time for spreading Internet rumors, he added.

Xu Lai, chief editor of popular science website guokr.com , suggested Internet users clearly identify sources mentioned in the rumors and not to spread the false information online.

According to Xu, guokr.com has worked with several other websites to open a public Wechat account to detect and fight against Internet rumors.