China’s Microblog Crackdown Continues 中国继续加强微博管控 新浪或受冲击
China’s displeasure at the ability of Twitter-like microblogs to quickly and efficiently spread rumors is heading into a new phase, with word that Beijing is ordering all search engines to stop including microblog posts in their results. (English article) Details are scant and there’s no official confirmation from Beijing, but the reports say an official at the Data Center of China Internet said on his own microblog that the move has been ordered by relevant government offices effective immediately, a move that would deal yet another blow to Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) as it tries to commercialize its wildly popular Weibo microblogging service. Weibo and its peers have had a difficult time these last few months, as Beijing tries to rein in this popular medium that allows anyone to say anything they want and see their messages instantly passed on to thousands of other subscribers, often leading to huge waves of protest or criticism of various social problems and government shortcomings. Late last year the government rolled out a new rule requiring all microblog users to register with their real names, in a bid to curtail rumor-mongering by people who could say anything they wanted with no fear of being identified. (previous post) More recently, the government ordered Weibo and another popular microblogging service operated by Tencent (HKEx: 700) to shut down part of their services after they helped to spread false rumors that army troops were entering Beijing amid the Communist Party’s latest internal power struggle. (previous post) This latest initiative, if it’s true, looks like just the latest step in the drive to reduce the influence of microblogs by making their messages unavailable to people using Internet search engines. While a large number of Weibo viewers get their news directly off Weibo itself, I suspect a large number of people also view Weibo posts as a result of web searches, as such posts are often indexed by the search engines. This latest initiative should have little effect on the search engines themselves, but could significantly reduce traffic to Weibo by halting all referrals from the search engines. That will come as the latest headache for Sina as it tries to commercialize Weibo, as the lower traffic volumes will make the service less attractive to advertisers that are one of the biggest potential revenue sources. If Beijing continues to impose more and more restrictions on Weibo like this, look for the service, once considered full of potential, to eventually wither and maybe even die in what would be a huge setback for Sina.
Bottom line: Beijing’s latest order banning microblog posts from search results is the latest setback for Sina’s Weibo, which is being by a growing list of government restrictions.
Related postings 相关文章:
◙ New Crackdown Spotlights Social Networking Risk 新的打压凸显社交网络风险
◙ Real Name Registration: Burden or Not for Weibo? 实名制会否成为新浪微博的负担？
◙ Microblog Clampdown: Only Chapter 1? 实名制向网络行业吹去冷风
