The other night, I received a mysterious WhatsApp message. “Dr. Kevin?” it began, the question mark suggesting the sender felt bad for interrupting my evening. “My puppy is very slow and won’t eat dog food. Can you make an appointment for me?”
I was mystified. My name is not Kevin, I am not a veterinarian, and I was in no position to help this person and their puppy. I nearly typed out a response saying “Sorry, wrong number” when I realized this was probably a scam to get me to confirm my number.
I didn’t respond, but many others who received similar texts have. Some are even throwing it back at their spammers by spinning wild tales and sending hilarious messages to frustrate whoever is on the other side. They’re fighting back with snark, and in some cases posting screenshots of their conversations online.
Experts don’t recommend responding like this. But it is cathartic and funny. Read the full story.
—Tanya Basu
China wants all social media comments to be pre-reviewed before publishing
The news: On June 17, China’s internet regulator Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) published a draft update on how platforms and creators should handle online comments. One line stands out: all online comments would have to be pre-reviewed before being published.
How would it work? The provisions cover many types of comments, including anything from forum posts, replies, messages left on public message boards, and “bullet chats” (an innovative way that video platforms in China use to display real-time comments on top of a video). All formats, including texts, symbols, GIFs, pictures, audio, and videos, fall under this regulation.
What does it mean? Users and observers are worried that the move could be used to further tighten freedom of expression in China. While Beijing is constantly refining its controls over social media, the vagueness of the latest revisions makes people worry that the government may ignore practical challenges, forcing platforms to hire a vast army of censors. Read the full story.
—Zeyi Yang
