10,000 online accounts closed, suspended for rumormongering in China

BEIJING -- Since mid-April, China's public security authorities have closed or suspended more than 10,000 online accounts creating or spreading fake information.

The authorities have cracked more than 1,600 cases involving online rumormongering and removed over 420,000 pieces of fake information as part of a campaign to crack down on fake information in cyberspace, the Ministry of Public Security said on Tuesday.

Netizens involved in rumormongering have been penalized according to the law, the ministry said.

The ministry released on Tuesday 10 cases handled during the campaign, revealing that certain self-media cooked up rumors to drive traffic and make profits, and certain websites failed to ensure cyberspace security by allowing such rumors to spread on the internet.

The ministry said it will continue to carry forward the campaign to curb fake online information and create clean cyberspace.