Hundreds of fans gather outside a hotel where Chinese-Canadian pop idol Kris Wu was staying in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, in 2017. Photo: VCG

Major Chinese internet platforms on Friday pledged to clean up online space and deny law-breaking or immoral entertainers the opportunity to come under the spotlight amid a campaign to tackle lingering problems in the entertainment industry, including immoral behaviors of celebrities and fans' irrational worship of idols. 

A total of 14 internet platforms including Twitter-like Sina Weibo, music and video sites like iQiYi and Tencent Video, QQ music, Douyin and information app Toutiao, made pledges as members of the Chinese Association of Performing Arts (CAPA). 

According to the new CAPA code of conduct, platforms will strengthen management on entertainment-related accounts, comments and interactive posts. 

Relevant contents will be deleted and accounts suspended if they spread groundless rumors and gossip about celebrities, stir up conflicts between people with different viewpoints, instigate opposition between fan groups, or publish without authorization or trade private information of entertainers such as flights, hotel addresses, ID numbers or phone numbers. 

Fundraising in the name of supporting an entertainer are banned. Accounts and contents that incite fans to disrupt public orders such as abusing government report channels and attending unauthorized public gatherings, are also subjected to relevant punishment. 

Tainted entertainers will not have a spotlight and platforms will provide opportunities for entertainers of high artistic achievements and moral integrity. 

The code of conduct also opposes using viewership data as the ultimate criteria. 

The platforms vowed to enhance information sharing and report rule-breaking activities of celebrities and their studios to the CAPA and other relevant organizations. 

The association's code of conduct came as China tightens its regulations on the entertainment sector, especially after scandals such as actress Zheng Shuang's tax evasion and the arrest of Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu on suspicion of rape.  

China also enhanced rectification with specific measures over the sick parts of "fan circle" culture in the entertainment industry, tackling the long-controversial moves by teenage fans that blindly idolize celebrities and excessively spend money on their "idols."

Global Times