Internet watchdog cracks down on ‘hot issue list’

ShaNGhaI: A crackdown on the “hot issue list industry” on Weibo has been ordered by Shanghai’s Internet watchdog.

Shanghai’s office for cyberspace affairs released an article on its WeChat account on Wednesday condemning the industry for trading money for a prominent place in the “hot issue list”, which it said was a “serious social issue”.

The article was released after a Weibo topic claiming that Ziguangge, the official magazine of Chinese central government, used waste oils went on the hot list.

The topic was believed to have been created and placed on the list by Chinese rapper PG One’s fans, who mistook Ziguangge for a restaurant after the magazine and a dozen other media outlets criticised the rapper on social media over a 2015 track that features derogatory comments about women and references drug use.

The track was criticised by official Chinese media, including People’s Daily and the Xinhua news agency.

The 24-year-old rapper, whose real name is Wang Hao, said he would remove any inappropriate songs from the Internet. He also promised to pay more attention to “positive energy” in his future music.

According to the article, the top three places on the list sell for 50,000 yuan (RM30,730) to 60,000 yuan (RM36,880).

The 10th to 20th places cost 35,000 yuan (RM21,510) to 45,000 yuan (RM27,660).