China cracks down on social media with threat of jail for 'online

rumours'. People will be charged with defamation if false information is

reposted more than 500 times under new rules.

Jonathan Kaiman in Beijing and agencies. theguardian.com, Tuesday 10 September 2013

1. China has unveiled tough measures to stop the spread of what the government calls irresponsible
rumours, threatening offenders with three years in jail if untrue posts online are widely reposted, drawing
an angry response from Chinese internet users.

2. China is in the middle of yet another crackdown on what it terms "online rumours", as the government
tries to rein in social media, increasingly used by Chinese people to discuss politics, despite stringent
censorship.
3. According to a judicial interpretation issued by China's top court and prosecutor, people will be charged
with defamation if online rumours they create are visited by 5,000 internet users or reposted more than
500 times.

4. That could lead to three years in jail, state media reported, citing the judicial document. That is the
standard sentence for defamation.

5. "People have been hurt and reaction in society has been strong, demanding with one voice serious
punishment by the law for criminal activities like using the internet to spread rumours and defame
people," said the court spokesman Sun Jungong.

6. "No country would consider the slander of other people as 'freedom of speech'," Sun said at a news
conference, carried live by the People's Daily website.

7. The interpretation also sets out what is considered a "serious case" of spreading false information or
rumours online, including those that cause mental anguish to their subjects.

8. Other serious cases involve the spreading of false information that causes protests, ethnic or religious
unrest or has a "bad international effect".

9. Analysts say the new law could send a chill through China's online communities, which have been used
with increasing frequency as a platform for reporting official malfeasance.

10. "This gives every corrupt local official a convenient tool to arrest anyone who criticises him," said
Michael Anti, a prominent blogger and media commentator in Beijing. "It means the end of the online
anti-corruption movement."

11. Unlike a similar internet crackdown in 2011 that mainly targeted dissidents and activists, the new law
casts a wider net. Many writers, celebrities and internet entrepreneurs have millions of Weibo followers,
and many will have to exercise greater caution in their posts, Anti said.

12. "This kind of political campaign, the anti-rumour campaign, can really create a chilling effect on the
blogosphere," he said.

13. Users of China's popular Twitter-like Sina Weibo microblogging site expressed anger about the new
rules.

14. "It's far too easy for something to be reposted 500 times or get 5,000 views. Who is going to dare say
anything now?" wrote one Weibo user.

15. "This interpretation is against the constitution and is robbing people of their freedom of speech," wrote
another.

16. State media have reported dozens of detentions in recent weeks as the government pushes a
crackdown on the spreading of rumours.

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 17. The campaign comes as President Xi Jinping's newly installed government steps up its harassment of
dissidents, showing no sign of wanting to loosen the party's grip on power.

18. China says it has a genuine need to stop the spread of irresponsible rumours, pointing to some of what
authorities say are patently ridiculous things said online of late, including a story that a soup made from
dead babies had gone on sale in Guangdong province.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/10/china-social-media-jail-rumours

NAME:__________________________________________________DATE:_____________

A. READING COMPREHENSION ( 2.5 Points )

Based on the reading text circle the option which answers the following statements or
questions (Dos marcaciones a las respuestas de un mismo enunciado anulan el punto):

1. The word ‘crackdown’ in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

a. Beginning
b. Restraint
c. Advance

2. Which of the following best expresses the essential information given in paragraph 9?
a. Regulations in china threaten people who express their opinion online.
b. The chilling climate in China could be a problem for official activities.
c. The new legislation has a minimal effect on the way people communicate.

3. Which of the following is NOT true about the happenings in China?

a. The new law intimidates dissidents and activists only.
b. Many important people have lots of followers.
c. People who use the web need to be discreet when posting.

4. The word ‘harassment’ in paragraph 17 can best be replaced by

a. Execution
b. Aid
c. Persecution

B. WRITING ( 2.5 Points )

Write a text in English where you expose the way legislation in your country represses social
and digital communication. Give examples to support your ideas.

Write 100 words minimum and consider the following aspects (La transcripción o copia parcial
o total de ideas o párrafos textuales de la lectura anulan la composición):
Length (extension and composition)
Spelling
Grammar
Coherence (organization and logical sequence of ideas.) Cohesion (sentences well
structured, well linked and there is no unnecessary repetition.)
Appropriateness (connection between the content and task proposed in the instruction.)

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Nota: El cuestionario debe ser resuelto con lapicero únicamente y la composición debe
hacerse en letra legible.

ANSWER SHEET

1. B
2. A
3. A
4. C

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