A new law issued by China’s supreme court is set to make open mouthed folks on social media platforms think twice before speaking freely.
The law states that any libelous posts or messages will be regarded as “serious” breaches of the law if they are visited or clicked on more than 5,000 times or retweeted more than 500 times.
The guilty ones could face up to three years in jail, reports Chinese state media.
As if that weren’t alarming enough, the threshold for being charged with this crime includes offenses as vague and subjective as “damaging the national image” and “causing adverse international effects.”
The law is the latest attempt to crack down on “black PR firms,” companies that make money from removing unflattering information from the internet.
Among other things, black PR firms often target companies, spreading gossip or misinformation about them, and then approaching them for payment in exchange for removing the smear campaign.