CCP Internet Censorship Drives Netizens Overseas, Accelerating Information Spread

The CCP has constructed the Great Firewall, obstructing citizens from accessing truthful information from overseas. (Dajiyuan composite image)

[People News] Several regions in mainland China have recently witnessed retaliatory social incidents, group conflicts, suicides, and public safety accidents. With related videos and information being deleted from domestic social media platforms, an increasing number of netizens are turning to the X platform, Telegram groups, and overseas self-media to share news, attempting to circumvent the CCP's internet censorship.

The Epoch Times reported that some interviewees noted that the CCP has been persistently deleting posts and banning accounts in recent years. However, more people are now directly sharing information on overseas platforms; ironically, the more the authorities impose censorship, the faster the news circulates.

Following the May Day holiday, a surge of videos depicting sudden incidents within China began to surface on the X platform. Some videos were quickly shared after being uploaded, but they soon vanished from platforms like Weibo, Douyin, and Bilibili, making it challenging to find related information.

In recent days, videos and news of sudden incidents from various locations in mainland China have emerged on overseas social media platforms. On May 3, a vehicle incident occurred in Linzhuang Street, Pingyang County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, where a vehicle crashed into a crowd. Multiple videos show several individuals lying on the ground amidst chaos. Some netizens reported that a man drove indiscriminately into people, resulting in 12 deaths and multiple injuries. As of now, the CCP has not issued a complete report, and related keywords have been blocked on the mainland internet.

Retired expatriate Wang Zhouxiang shared with reporters, "My son in the country told me that many schools and hospitals are currently behind on salary payments. There have been incidents of people jumping from buildings due to fines, and others who, unable to collect their wages, have set factories on fire. Such occurrences are happening everywhere, with many vicious cases that were previously unheard of now emerging one after another. The authorities frequently block, delete posts, and shut down accounts. Netizens have their own strategies; they send information to overseas anti-communist netizens for reposting, making it difficult for the police to trace."

The accumulation of unemployment and suppressed emotions continues.

On the same day, a video from the streets of Sichuan gained attention on overseas platforms. The footage shows a man who had gone out to work sitting on the ground, crying uncontrollably and repeatedly shouting, "I really have no money, not a single cent left." Although people gathered around, no one approached to help.

A user on platform X remarked, "There are no traces left in the country; I can only scale the wall to preserve the scene."

Later, a video emerged from Gusu District in Suzhou, Jiangsu, featuring a young man cosplaying as Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion during the late Eastern Han Dynasty. He was seen shouting on the street, "The heavens have died, the Yellow Sky should rise, the year is Jiazi, and the world is auspicious. I, Zhang Jiao, a poor Daoist, invite the Han to death, with the thunder god assisting me!"

On May 4, an explosion occurred at a firecracker factory in Liuyang, Hunan. The initial news was shared by mainland netizens on overseas platforms. Videos circulating online show a series of explosions at the scene, with thick smoke billowing into the air. It was later confirmed that the incident resulted in over 80 casualties, but the authorities only issued a brief notice without providing details such as the cause of the explosion. It was not until the incident continued to escalate that state media began to cover it.

On May 3, a video showing a vehicle striking pedestrians on Linzhuang Street, Pingyang County, Wenzhou, gained significant traction on overseas platforms. The footage depicts several pedestrians lying on the road, surrounded by a large crowd of onlookers.

Chinese scholar Yao Nong remarked to reporters that there is a high number of unemployed youth, with the situation for middle-aged individuals being even more dire. However, official media seldom permit open discussions regarding the actual unemployment rates. He stated, 'Many individuals are sharing these videos online as a means of expressing their frustration, yet the authorities do not allow such voices to be heard. When people suppress their emotions for an extended period, issues are bound to arise. The more you restrict information, the more it spreads. Some individuals engage in these actions to draw societal attention to their plight. Nevertheless, I also oppose resolving issues through harming others.'

The case of a female student in Chengdu has attracted considerable attention.

On May 5, reports surfaced from Xihe Street in Longquanyi District, Chengdu, Sichuan, indicating that a 15-year-old high school girl was allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted after being sent by the principal to accompany officials for drinks, leading to her tragic fall from the 34th floor.

Related chat logs, on-site videos, and exposé articles continued to circulate on overseas platforms, but they became unsearchable on mainland social media. A netizen commented on X, stating, 'It's not that there is no news domestically, but that news is simply not allowed to exist.'

The official censorship has backfired, resulting in faster dissemination of information.

Internet activist Liu Qing (pseudonym) shared in an interview that in recent years, the mainland has seen an increase in internet restrictions, account deletions, and VPN limitations, suggesting that the authorities are now highly sensitive to public opinion.

He stated, 'What the Chinese Communist Party fears most right now is the spread of collective emotions. If something has the potential to incite anger, panic, or prompt discussions about real issues, it will swiftly remove it. They are also concerned about the possibility of public incidents similar to the White Paper Movement re-emerging.'

Liu Qing noted that many Chinese netizens have adopted a practice of 'overseas backup.' When an incident occurs, they quickly send videos to the X platform, Telegram channels, or the email addresses of overseas bloggers.

In recent years, there has been a growing number of incidents in mainland China involving 'loyalty demonstrations,' random attacks, vehicular assaults, and live-streamed suicides. However, official reports from the Chinese Communist Party have become increasingly simplified, with some cases no longer providing specific casualty figures. Concurrently, censorship on trending topics on Weibo, short video platforms, and local media has been continuously intensified. △