Sina Weibo Photo: Screenshot of website

A total of 18,670 accounts were shut down on Monday by Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform, for vicious marketing activities including selling data to online shops. Weibo has forbidden its online accounts from selling information to crack down on paid posters in the online black market.

According to the announcement, Weibo carried out careful checks on these accounts and was certain of the illegal activities after the accounts had been recognized by algorithms or had been reported by netizens.

In recent years, Weibo has been working to clamp down on online paid posters, also known as the Internet Water Army. To get paid, they spread meaningless or fake news and conduct smear campaigns or vicious marketing activities, which seriously disturb social order and undermine trust.