China to punish people for 'liking' social media posts amid clampdown on COVID-19 protests

People in China can soon get into trouble if they "like" a post on social media that is "harmful" or "illegal". These new rules will come into force on December 15th and they are a part of guidelines published by Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), as per a report from CNN. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) comes under the ambit of Cyberspace Affairs Commission. 

The Cyberspace Affairs Commission is chaired by China's President Xi Jinping. These new rules come at the heels of widespread anti-lockdown protests in China. Numerous regions in China are dealing with lockdowns for months due to Xi Jinping's stringent COVID-19 prevention policies. The rules are intentionally vague as they do not lay out properly what "harmful" or "illegal" content is. Keeping the rules vague gives CCP the ability to maneuver in a manner that suits its needs. China has an internet that is isolated from the rest of the world and the level of control CCP has on the internet in China is unique. 

What is the goal of CCP?

Joseph Cheng, a retired professor of political science at the City University of Hong Kong, said to CNN that the goal of authorities is to create friction in the communication channels being used by dissidents. Inability to communicate without friction will hamper the ability of these dissidents to organise and plan protest movements. The new regulation states that all users will have to verify their personal identity before they comment or like posts on social media. Users will have to verify themselves by providing their social credit number, mobile phone and personal id. 

Users will also be judged on the basis of their likes and comments. A credit rating system will rank users on the basis of their likes and comments and they will be labelled "dishonest" if they like too many "harmful" posts. They will also be prevented from creating new accounts on the platform. In essence, these regulations are creating disincentives for posting, commenting or liking content that is critical of the CCP regime. Even criticism of China's COVID-19 policies won't be allowed. It is unclear how long technology can be used to suppress public anger.