Weibo, China’s alternative to Twitter which the police plans to use to raise it’s online profile.

China’s division of police in charge of online censorship has announced that from Monday it will make their activity more visible on social media in a bid to reduce illegal and harmful content, the Ministry of Public Security said.

The government in China heavily censors the Internet, blocking websites they believe could challenge the communist rule of the country or threaten stability. The censorship includes websites such as Google, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

Police in roughly 50 areas such Beijing and Shanghai to more obscure cities like Xuzhou in Jiangsu province, will be opening accounts on China’s alternatives to western social media outlets for example Weibo which is China’s version of Twitter. Already over 20 accounts have been setup with police in Fuzhou sending their first public message “Hello dear netizens…Hope you all can support me and understand me! Follow me!”. The account currently has just 20 followers.

The move is a response to public concern about problems like online gambling and pornography and is aimed at increasing the visibility of the police presence online to “create a harmonious, cultured, clear and bright Internet”, it said.

“The Internet police are coming out to the front stage from behind the curtains, beginning regular open inspection and law enforcement efforts, raising the visibility of the police online, working hard to increase a joint feeling of public safety for the online community and satisfy the public,” the ministry said.

Many in China see this as the Chinese administration’s latest method of curbing free expression in the country, many bloggers have posted criticism of the scheme, whilst being careful not to get themselves in trouble.

The cyber police have stated that they are working to eliminate “illegal and harmful information on the Internet, deter and prevent cyber crimes and improper words and deeds online, publish case reports and handle public tip-offs”. This includes issues such as gambling, fraud, the commerce of drugs/guns and the “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”.

The police plans to issue warnings to users involved in minor offences and chasing after individuals involved in more serious illegitimate activities.

“Just like in the real world, law violations in cyberspace will not go unaccounted for,” it said.

The government has removed 758,000 pieces of “illegal and criminal information” from the web and investigated more than 70,000 illegal online crime cases since the beginning of this year, the ministry said.