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Twitter hosts China-backed ads maligning Hong Kong protesters

Bookmarking platform Pinboard is calling on users to hold Twitter accountable.

 

Samira Sadeque

Tech

Posted on Aug 19, 2019   Updated on May 20, 2021, 6:05 am CDT

Twitter is sponsoring posts by the Chinese government that are attacking protesters in Hong Kong and painting them as “violent,” according to people who called out the social media platform.  

The Twitter account for Pinboard, a bookmarking service, tweeted screenshots on Saturday showing sponsored posts by Xinhua News, China’s state media agency, that refer to the situation as “escalating” and “blatant” violence.

About 1.4 million people marched in peaceful protest this weekend, defying police orders, after two months of demonstrations that have at times turned chaotic, according to the Guardian. The demonstrations began when protesters refused an extradition bill, which has since been suspended. But the movement has continued with Hong Kong citizens demanding wider democratic reform.

While there have been clashes, Xinhua News has consistently maintained that the protesters alone were violent. However, outside observers such as human rights group Amnesty International reported Hong Kong police used “unnecessary and excessive use of force,” “beating protesters who did not resist,” “aggressive tactics … to obstruct journalists on site and the misuse of tear gas and pepper spray.”

The state news agency’s sponsored tweets are especially problematic given that Twitter, along with other social media platforms, remains blocked in China. The Chinese government also keeps users who use social media with a VPN under heavy scrutiny. It’s also not the first time Twitter was found to be playing by the Chinese government’s rules. In June, the platform was accused of removing many Chinese-language user accounts in the build-up to the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.  

On Sunday, Pinboard shared another promoted post with the narrative China wants to reflect. In the tweet, China Xinhua News quoted “Hong Kong citizens” as saying China is their “home” and calling for “stopping violence, ending chaos.”

“It is time for Twitter users (and employees) to call for stopping violence, ending chaos, and restoring order on Twitter,” Pinboard said in a follow-up tweet. “Stop selling promoted tweets to Xinhua, who are running an orchestrated state-backed campaign to discredit and dehumanize the authentic voice of Hong Kong.”

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H/T Engadget

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*First Published: Aug 19, 2019, 12:27 pm CDT