China opens new channels alerting public about online rumors

BEIJING -- China on Saturday launched mobile apps and mini-programs to alert the public against online rumors.

The mobile apps will be available in major app stores from Saturday. Mini-programs will be launched simultaneously on multiple platforms such as WeChat, Alipay, and Baidu in an effort to open new channels for the public to verify online rumors, according to the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission.

Hosted by the Internet Illegal Information Reporting Center under the office and operated by xinhuanet.com, the platform has received more than 30,000 reports of suspected rumors and published more than 9,000 authoritative rumor-debunking articles since its launch in August 2018.