China steps up efforts to squash online rumors

BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's national platform against online rumors, piyao.org.cn, has launched a special service to quickly respond to rumors concerning issues of public interest.

Every day, in a headline column, the platform will debunk major rumors that catch the eye of the public, especially those related to public policies, emergencies and healthcare, said the Internet Illegal Information Reporting Center (IIIRC) under the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission in a press release.

The service, which goes into operation from Wednesday, aims to convey facts, spread scientific knowledge, and help the public obtain accurate and true information released by authorities, the IIIRC said.

The service is the country's latest move to build a clean cyberspace by combating rumors.

Since last August, the center has created 12 websites to verify and tag rumors reported by netizens concerning topics such as health, food safety and education. So far, over 250,000 pieces of misinformation have been marked accordingly.