In this edition: Chinese propagandists use fake Twitter accounts to promote Beijing's policies; Turkish women posting selfies to protest comments made by the Deputy PM; and a stunning display of barefoot skiing.
FAKE TWITTER ACCOUNTS SPREAD CHINESE PROPAGANDA
They have names like Tom Hugo, Felix James, Alayna Newark, they are highly active online, good looking, and seem to know China pretty well. But these web users don`t actually exist, they are fake and operated by Beijing to, amongst other things, promote China`s policies in Tibet. The revelations have prompted strong condemnation online.
The fake Twitter accounts were exposed by non-governmental organisation "Free Tibet", working closely with US daily the New York Times. The investigation revealed around one hundred sham Twitter profiles were being operated, using photos of models or actors gleaned from the Internet as profile pics. The revelations led to a complaint being lodged with Twitter and the accounts have since been taken down.
But "Free Tibet" continues to urge web users to be wary, saying other fake accounts may still be active: feeds that often provide links to YouTube videos intending to show successful integration of Tibetan culture into modern China. The accounts also steer followers towards the showchina.us blog, which mainly consists of criticizing the Dalai Lama.
And as Reporters without Borders has been pointing out for some months now, there`s nothing new about China using the web for propaganda purposes. Not only does Beijing censor bloggers that criticize the authorities, it is also looking to improve its online image, and on Twitter in particular, even though the social network, as the NGO reminds us, is actually block... Go on reading on our web site.
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