China tightens web censorship

The Chinese government has announced strict new rules to limit the dissemination of news over the internet.

Official news agency Xinhua is reporting that the State Council Information Office and the Ministry of Information Industry are updating the censorship rules in place since 2000 to take account of new technologies.

News aggregation sites that publish stories from multiple sources must get approval from the State Council Information Office or risk being fined or shut down.

Media companies attached to the central government or directly under provincial governments are not allowed to provide any stories to other online news sites without approval.

"We need to better regulate the online news services with the emergence of so many unhealthy news stories that will easily mislead the public," an Information Office spokesman is reported to have said.

The Chinese government is hoping that its own people will help to work on what has been dubbed the 'Great Firewall of China' by reporting sites that could be in breach of the rules. It has set up a dedicated website for such reports.

The new rules apply to any device capable of receiving internet transmissions, including mobile phones. 

Reporters Without Borders has released a guide for online journalists and bloggers operating under repressive regimes.