25 more social media accounts closed in cleanup drive

(Screenshot of Yansubagua WeChat account)

At least 25 popular social media accounts have been closed on Thursday, one day after China shut off 19 Sina Weibo accounts of paparazzi as a part of efforts to uphold socialist core values and clean up the cyber environment.

The closed WeChat accounts include Dushe Movie, which focuses on sharing information and review on trending and classic movies.

With around 2 million followers, the account is valued at 300 million yuan ($44 million) after finishing its first major round of financing, according to a 2016 report on 36Kr.com, an online technology media platform.

The other closed accounts also include "gossipmaker," which received a 15 million yuan investment in 2015, and "Yansubagua," a gossip account praised by many young Chinese as having the "right" value on some hot social issues.

Separately, the WeChat account of a popular fashion magazine Nanrenzhuang, the For Him Magazine Chinese edition, was also shut off.

On Wednesday, China's Sina Weibo closed 19 accounts that fabricated rumors and damaged other people's reputation, the platform said in a statement, adding that it emphasizes the protection of public figures' rights and values the user's experience on the platform.

Among the list is Zhuo Wei, dubbed as China's No.1 paparazzi. Having 7 million followers before his Sina Weibo account was shut down,

Zhuo is famous for revealing scandals in the Chinese entertainment circle. He shot to fame in 2014 after revealing that Chinese movie star Wen Zhang had an extramarital affair with Yao Di, his co-star in hit television series, Naked Marriage.

The Beijing Cyberspace Administration talked to the management of several websites including Sina Weibo, Jinri Toutiao, Youku and Baidu on Wednesday, requiring them to fulfill their duties, spread socialist core values, create healthy public opinion environment and contain the hyping of pop stars' personal affairs.

The move came after the implementation of China's first Cyber Security Law which stipulates that any person and organization using networks shall not disseminate violent, obscene or sexual information; create or disseminate false information to disrupt economic or social order; and infringe on the reputation, privacy, intellectual property or other lawful rights and interests of others.