The cyber watchdog said that as of 30 November, it will require assessment reports from any internet platform that could be used to “socially mobilise” or lead to “major changes in public opinion”.

As part of the assessments, which include on-site inspections, companies must show they are logging information including real names, usernames, account names, network addresses, times of use, chat logs, call logs and the type of device being used.

In a policy notice posted on its website, the CAC did not specify the names of the companies affected but listed a wide range of services including chat functions, blogs, public accounts, web casts, video sites and news providers.

Companies with those functions include Tencent (shown below), which operates the WeChat messaging service, Alibaba Group, Baidu and Apple, which hosts its message service in China.

Control of the internet has tightened under President Xi Jinping in an effort that has increased since 2016, as the government seeks to crack down on dissent in the booming social media landscape.

Under Chinese cyber policy, content that “undermines” social stability, manipulates history or runs counter to the government line is deemed a cyber-security risk, comparable to financial and terrorist cyber threats.

According to the terms and conditions of social media services, including the Twitter-like service Weibo and Tencent’s WeChat, Chinese tech companies are already required to share information with the government upon request.

To avoid fines, suspensions and, in some cases, permeant closure, companies have increasingly introduced new features to their platforms to boost government influence and have withdrawn viral content.

On Tuesday, the CAC said it had removed 9,800 social media accounts from independent news providers deemed to have posted sensational, vulgar or politically harmful content, which comes amid a series of grassroot movements, ranging from labour rights to #MeToo protests.

China is stepping up censorship as US tech giants – including Google, which has been criticised over secretive plans to launch a censored search engine in China – expand. A launch which Google’s CEO openly admitted to at a summit in San Francisco last month.

Earlier this month, Freedom House – a US-based NGO – released its annual Freedom of the Net report, which found that internet freedom is declining in many countries, as China exports online censorship.

In August, an online platform designed to eradicate ‘online rumours’ was launched in China as Beijing ramped up efforts to increase the presence of its state-sponsored news agenda.

The cyber watchdog said that as of 30 November, it will require assessment reports from any internet platform that could be used to “socially mobilise” or lead to “major changes in public opinion”.

As part of the assessments, which include on-site inspections, companies must show they are logging information including real names, usernames, account names, network addresses, times of use, chat logs, call logs and the type of device being used.

In a policy notice posted on its website, the CAC did not specify the names of the companies affected but listed a wide range of services including chat functions, blogs, public accounts, web casts, video sites and news providers.

Companies with those functions include Tencent (shown below), which operates the WeChat messaging service, Alibaba Group, Baidu and Apple, which hosts its message service in China.

Control of the internet has tightened under President Xi Jinping in an effort that has increased since 2016, as the government seeks to crack down on dissent in the booming social media landscape.

Under Chinese cyber policy, content that “undermines” social stability, manipulates history or runs counter to the government line is deemed a cyber-security risk, comparable to financial and terrorist cyber threats.

According to the terms and conditions of social media services, including the Twitter-like service Weibo and Tencent’s WeChat, Chinese tech companies are already required to share information with the government upon request.

To avoid fines, suspensions and, in some cases, permeant closure, companies have increasingly introduced new features to their platforms to boost government influence and have withdrawn viral content.

On Tuesday, the CAC said it had removed 9,800 social media accounts from independent news providers deemed to have posted sensational, vulgar or politically harmful content, which comes amid a series of grassroot movements, ranging from labour rights to #MeToo protests.

China is stepping up censorship as US tech giants – including Google, which has been criticised over secretive plans to launch a censored search engine in China – expand. A launch which Google’s CEO openly admitted to at a summit in San Francisco last month.

Earlier this month, Freedom House – a US-based NGO – released its annual Freedom of the Net report, which found that internet freedom is declining in many countries, as China exports online censorship.

In August, an online platform designed to eradicate ‘online rumours’ was launched in China as Beijing ramped up efforts to increase the presence of its state-sponsored news agenda.