China's cyberspace administration authority shut down 580 social media accounts which "misled the public" or "violated regulations," including the accounts of several Internet celebrities, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said on Friday.

Some Internet celebrities ignored social responsibilities and abused their influence to publish information that violated the Constitution and damaged the national interest, the CAC claimed. They also allegedly created and circulated rumors and disturbed the social order, according to the CAC website.

Among the big Vs, a term which refers to verified Weibo users who have more than 500,000 followers, who have been shut down are famous actor Sun Haiying, an editor of a Henan-based news website hnr.cn and a Beijing art center manager.

Sun has been the center of public criticism several times for making "disrespectful" comments about former  leader Mao Zedong and for condemning homosexuality.

Meanwhile, some public accounts on WeChat that allegedly published false political news in the name of Party departments and military organs, fabricated sensational rumors, promoted superstitions and cults, and spread gambling information have also been shut down or suspended.

"Every netizen enjoys freedom of speech when publishing information online, but posting rumors that violate civil rights and harm public interests must be condemned on moral grounds and in accordance with the law," said Jiang Jun, CAC spokesperson.

The CAC also dealt with 2,000 rumors relating to transportation, food safety and public policies. In response to recent "inaccurate news stories," including one published on the WeChat account of business magazine Caixin, Jiang called on news providers to follow journalistic ethics.

"It's obvious that the negative social impact of fake reports has been worsened by news providers publishing them on their social media accounts," said Jiang.

Global Times - Xinhua