China turns censorship crackdown efforts to podcasts and audiobooks
China has begun a crackdown on podcasts and audiobooks for the first time as it aims to clean up the pornographic content found in them.
CAC claimed these content “severely damages the Internet environment” and has a bad influence on minors.
Having previously concentrated its efforts on cleaning up social media platforms, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has announced that it has taken 26 audio apps to task for failing to keep “public order and good customs”.
According to The South China Morning Post, the CAC also removed audiobooks of horror novels that contained zombies and posthumous marriage, accusing them of spreading “historical nihilism”. Voice-based social apps have also not been spared.
China defines “historical nihilism” as thoughts that “seek to distort the history of modern China’s revolution, the CPC and the armed forces.
CAC claimed these content “severely damages the Internet environment” and has a bad influence on minors.
In June, Apple removed a number of Chinese-language podcasts from its China podcasts store as it aims to make it podcast operations more law-abiding in the country.