Fake in China: 488 million social media posts a year

The Chinese government cranks out 488 million fake social media posts a year in an effort to divert attention away from sensitive issues, a new study estimates. The researchers describe a "massive secretive operation" carried out by government employees, highlighting just how far China is willing to go to control news and information. Many foreign websites and social networks, including Google and Facebook, are blocked in the country, and authorities closely monitor and censor activity on homegrown social media sites.

The new study, led by Harvard University data scientist Gary King, looks at China's "Fifty Cent Party," referring to the people rumored to be paid 50 Chinese cents (US$0.08) by the government for each positive social media comment they write and post. The "Fifty Cent Party" is often perceived as weighing in on the government's side in political debates on the Internet. But the study disputes that, suggesting that the posts actually shy away from arguments and controversial issues. Instead, their aim is to "regularly distract the public and change the subject," the researchers say. "Most of these posts involve cheerleading for China, the revolutionary history of the Communist Party, or other symbols of the regime."