Christians in China have been experiencing “severe censorship” since the “Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services” came into force in March this year.
Christianity-related websites, WeChat accounts, and group chats have been banned or restricted since March 1, according to reports.
This month, a Christian woman has been been blocked from using an intelligent working platform for a year for “posting illegal religious content.”
A report on China Christian Daily said the woman was recently informed that her post involving “illegal religious messages” violated DingTalk’s rules.
DingTalk is an enterprise communication and collaboration platform developed by the Alibaba Group.
The woman, however, said she has been posting similar content in her daily work.
Her situation has been common in recent years with people blocked on the platform after posting content concerning sensitive religious words, said the report.
DingTalk is an all-in-one mobile workplace platform that has integrated the basic functions of operation for companies, including instant messaging, financial examination and approval, and work report submitting.
With the escalating control of cyberspace, several products of the Alibaba Group, such as WeChat, and Alibaba Cloud Server, have seen severe censorship in the past years.
The WeChat account of the Social Service Department of CCC&TSPM, the Chinese government’s umbrella organizations for Protestant churches, has become unnamed.
Under China’s new measures, anyone who wants to share religious content online must “apply to the provincial departments of religious affairs, making a detailed statement on the licensing requirements, application materials, username, and the time limit for acceptance.”
Neither religious individuals nor organizations can convene together to share religious posts, teachings, or other information online unless they are registered and vetted by the state.
