Amid Ongoing Flood Relief, China's Ministry of Public Security Punishes 27 for Online Rumors

China has recently faced a series of natural disasters, including floods and tornadoes, in regions such as Guangxi, Guangdong, Hubei, Gansu, and Sichuan, with relief efforts still ongoing. Amid this crisis, China's Ministry of Public Security announced today the investigation of 25 cases related to 'online rumor-related criminal activities' concerning the disaster situations, involving a total of 27 individuals. Not only have their social media accounts been suspended, but four of them have been criminally detained, while the remaining 23 have received administrative penalties.

According to a report by Jiemian News, this crackdown on 'online rumor-related illegal activities' during the floods was led by the Cybersecurity Bureau of China's Ministry of Public Security. The 25 cited cases involve provinces and regions recently affected by floods, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Zhejiang, and Hubei.

The Ministry stated that some netizens 'maliciously fabricated false content related to floods and disasters for personal gain, seriously disrupting flood control and relief operations and causing negative impacts.' In response, public security cyber departments 'acted swiftly and cracked down severely,' resulting in four criminal detentions, 23 administrative penalties, and the suspension of related accounts across all platforms.

Among those criminally detained, all four are from Guangdong, with three residing in Guangzhou. Authorities accused them of using software to create 'special effect videos' or manipulating existing footage—such as rural flash floods, night markets submerged in heavy rain, or streets appearing like oceans outside homes—and posting them online. These actions triggered public panic, 'caused negative impacts, and disrupted the normal progress of flood relief efforts,' leading to their criminal detention by local public security organs.

Additionally, six of the 27 individuals involved are from Guangxi, the region most severely affected by the recent floods. They were accused of seeking online attention by misusing and manipulating internet images, posting misleading short videos and texts on platforms like Douyin, Toutiao, and WeChat, 'misleading a large number of netizens into attention and discussion, causing adverse effects.' These six have been administratively penalized by local authorities.

(Edited by Qiu Guoqiang / Zhang Zhixuan)