Cyber security Photo: IC

After an investigation launched by local authorities in East China's Shanghai, 30 online WeChat groups that spread rumors about COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control were shut down and 23 WeChat users who firstly spread the rumors were punished in accordance with the law.

The Shanghai Cyberspace Administration issued a notice about the further investigation of rumor-mongering on social media on its official WeChat account on April 8 on its official WeChat account.  

Local authorities in Shanghai are going to deal with those that maliciously spread rumors on COVID-19 prevention and control in Shanghai, and urged citizens to maintain good cyberspace, read the notice.

According to the announcement, the Shanghai Cyberspace Administration received complaints earlier from citizens that some people were creating, releasing and spreading rumors and false information about the COVID-19 prevention and control in Shanghai on social media, especially on WeChat groups.

Rumors spread on social media, such as "Shanghai policeman carried a resident upstairs, but it's a dummy", "a pregnant woman in Shanghai died due to premature delivery, "10 carloads of beef and mutton were given to Shanghai finally spoiled as no one received them, "a farmer in Shanghai said vegetables could not be sold and ended up rotting in the field", are all verified to be false information, local authorities said. 

Shanghai has reached a critical stage of eradicating the epidemic at the moment and those who fabricate and spread rumors, disrupt social order and undermine social stability would be severely cracked down on and punished accordingly, local authorities noted.

The local authorities in Shanghai said it will earnestly fulfill its responsibility of management and continue to strengthen efforts to dispel rumors and misinformation online, so as to create clean cyberspace for the city's concerted fight against the epidemic.

Meanwhile, residents in Shanghai are also encouraged to report rumors and false information truthfully on the official website of the local reporting center of illegal and harmful information, so as to maintain a good network environment.