The coronavirus outbreak has caused several videos to circulate on Twitter and other social media platforms. Now, a video stating that the government is watching the citizens is floating on the social media platform.
The video shows several linked devices to a computer following chatrooms and chats. The video seems to be leaked footage that shows the mobile device screens being shared in one desktop. The social media users are trying to understand where the Chinese government's energy is right now.
The tweet posted by an unverified user had several comments trying to debunk whether this was real footage or not. Some users are focusing on how scary the situation is. The public is said to be constantly being watched in China.
The new age of technology and the spread of information
The recent outbreak has definitely changed some parts of the censorship in China. The internet users in the country rarely had an opportunity to talk about happenings in the country. The virus outbreak might have changed that, at least for the time being.
WeChat and Weibo, China's own social media platforms, have become a platform where the netizens are criticizing the government in the country, mostly in the Hubei province. Users have been questioning the actions of the Mayor in Wuhan during the outbreak. Although this is not the first time the country is experiencing a tragic event like this, the last time during the SARS virus, there were no active social media platforms to discuss the event.
The Chinese Communist Party has implemented strict orders when it comes to censorship of the internet. But, during this critical time, Chinese citizens are criticizing the local government for their inactive behaviour. After the Wuhan Mayor attended a press conference without wearing a mask properly, the people took to social media to talk about the lack of awareness and how the virus is not being discussed properly.
The people have been questioning the national system. But, the free flow of criticism doesn't mean that there is no censorship. Even during the outbreak, there has been an active crackdown of the kind of information that is being spread. At one point there has been a discussion about how the government has been using the outbreak as a coverup to track down the anti-nationalist population.
Crackdown on misinformation or tracking down the dissidents
Apart from the leaked video of the desktop screen, there has been widespread speculation about what the trending videos mean. There are videos showing citizens being dragged to be quarantined. The netizens have started discussing whether the citizens are being dragged away because they posted about the government's negligence.
Facebook has started removing misinformation that is spreading on its platform, while TikTok and other platforms are also doing the same.
