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Censorship

A director monitors from vertical screens while filming specialised short-video content that has become increasingly popular in the United States. Photo: Reuters
China exports

As China’s vertical dramas charm US, soft-influence exports offer risks, rewards

Facing oversaturation in China, short-form video companies are finding lucrative new markets abroad, even amid geopolitical tensions.

American cinema

Why was Trump biopic The Apprentice censored in Hong Kong?

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China’s Communist Party

Chinese officials told to stop avoiding media questions about emergencies

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Books and literature

Jodi Picoult, Margaret Atwood, Alice Walker books top banned list in US

Once recommended for young adults, Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes leads among 4,200 titles banned in schools, writers’ group PEN America says.

Jodi Picoult’s novel about a school shooting, Nineteen Minutes, is the most banned book in schools in the United States, according to PEN America. Photo: Instagram/@berlinbookbriefs
TikTok

TikTok slashes hundreds of jobs in shift towards AI content moderation

Short-video platform TikTok currently employs a mix of automated detection and human moderators to review content posted on the site.

Malaysia

Malaysia arrests, deports maid for criticising Cambodia leaders on social media

Nuon Toeun, 36, who had worked in Malaysia for several years, was arrested on a request from the Cambodian government.

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Accidents and disasters in China

Man accused of stabbing Japanese boy jobless with criminal record: Chinese media

Information about the sensitive case is tightly controlled by Chinese police, media and internet censors.

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Chinese paramilitary police officers march past the entrance of the Japanese embassy in Beijing on Thursday. China has expressed “regret and sadness” after a Japanese schoolboy died after being stabbed on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia scraps its loathed internet re-routing plan after public backlash

Insiders warn fallout from scrapped DNS policy could undermine government efforts to attract tech investments from major players like Nvidia.

Malaysia

Malaysia denies web traffic rerouting plan ‘draconian’ amid censorship fears

The regulator said the move would protect users from harmful content, but critics argue it could dent the country’s digital economy.

North Korea

North Korea challenges China’s border telecoms plans in rare protest

Pyongyang claims Beijing failed to consult it about the deployment, potentially indicating strained communications between the two.

An engineer checks power transmission equipment in Dandong last month. North Korea said it was especially opposed to proposed radio stations in the northeastern Chinese city. Photo: Xinhua
Vietnam

Asian Angle | Vietnam retools its propaganda strategy for the social media age

Vietnam’s attempts to change its social media approach are complicated by tight controls and the public’s low trust in government messages.

People use their laptops in an internet cafe in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Bloomberg
Malaysia

TikTok leads tech grumbles over Malaysia’s new social media licence

TikTok Malaysia’s head of public policy urges government against taking top-down approach to moderating content on social media.

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China society

My Take | China’s censorship of cyberspace ID criticism risks losing a chance to improve

Chinese law requires new regulations to solicit public feedback, but legitimate concerns about giving netizens a single national ID are being silenced.

Myanmar

Opinion | Myanmar’s VPN ban, internet controls expose citizens to more cyber threats

Ban is likely to push people, desperately seeking information or social connection, towards alternatives even from obscured sources.

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Myanmar youths browsing Facebook at an internet shop in Yangon. File photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia’s raucous internet faces mute button as Anwar targets social media

Malaysia’s push for more internet regulations, including a “kill switch” to control harmful online content aimed at minors, has raised concerns about broader internet control and suppression of dissent.

Malaysia’s push for more internet regulations, including a “kill switch” to control harmful online content aimed at minors, has raised concerns about broader internet control and suppression of dissent. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

Malaysia’s new cyber law stirs fears of ‘death knell’ for free speech

Critics say government has duty to protect space for dissent, amid concerns new law is pushed ‘with little consultation and in haste’.

Artificial intelligence

As OpenAI blocks China, developers scramble to keep GPT access through VPNs

On the day OpenAI cut off API access in mainland China and Hong Kong, developers turned to VPNs and third-party providers while making plans to use domestic models.

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Viral stories

Censorship fears as Singapore moves to erase ‘offensive’ cigarette from mural

An order by the authorities in Singapore to erase a smoking cigarette from a mural in the city’s Chinatown district has provoked a row over art censorship.

A row over the censorship of street art is raging in Singapore after the city’s authorities ordered the erasure of a smoking cigarette from a Chinatown mural. Photo: SCMP composite/ Instagram/@seanpdunston
United States

In the US, LGBTQ librarians grapple with attacks on books – and on themselves

People who identify as LGBTQ say they are facing increasing difficulties at work, ranging from being repeatedly misgendered to physically assaulted.

Hong Kong politics

Maintenance on Hong Kong sculpture sparks questions over censorship

Hoarding around sculpture while it is repaired has grey panels over photos wrapping around boards blocking out two figures in yellow raincoats.

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Cybersecurity

China cracks down on seeds of cyberbullying after suicides linked to abuse

Online publishers must push awareness of online abuse, censor comments in advance and cut off live broadcasts containing violent information.

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Chinese government ministries and agencies have jointly issued regulations to crack down on cyber abuse, including that internet information providers must not serve anonymous users. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Bill that would restrict investigative reporting in Indonesia blasted by critics

Activists argue the bill is being fast-tracked to protect the interests of the political elite.

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Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto speaks to the media in Bogor, West Java. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Indonesia mulls ‘dangerous’ ban on investigative journalism, LGBT content

Indonesia has been mulling controversial legal revisions in recent weeks, including changes to a law that would give the government more power to remove sitting judges.

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Human rights in China

US raises ‘deep concerns’ over disappearance of Chinese Covid-19 journalist

Zhang Zhan, arrested in May 2020 after reporting on coronavirus in Wuhan, has not been heard from since her expected prison release date earlier this week, advocates say.

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Censorship in China

Pirate e-book site Z-Library hit by China’s Great Firewall, Bilibili account closed

Z-Library denied rumours of temporarily restricted access in China, promising to maintain access and saying it’s open to censoring some titles.

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One of the most popular e-book piracy platforms faces restricted access in China after censorship on domestic social media accounts. Photo: Handout
Australia

My Take | Albanese clashes with Musk over harmful content – but don’t stop there

The Australian PM was incensed after Musk’s X ignored a court order to remove videos of a stabbing attack in Sydney.

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Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the APEC Leaders’ Week in San Francisco last year. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Australia

Elon Musk escalates feud with Australia over X as spy chief warns of extremism

Musk accused Australia’s leaders of trying to censor the internet after a court ordered his platform to stop showing footage of a bishop being stabbed.

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Malaysia

Malaysia eyes censorship powers over streaming content amid rising conservatism

Malaysia’s home ministry says it wants to prevent the streaming of LGBTQ, communist and Islamophobic content on platforms such as Netflix.

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Censorship
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Censorship. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
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