Dharamshala — Sources from northeastern Tibet's Zeku county report that Chinese authorities are requiring a training for WeChat group chat organizers as a new way to control the spread of information within and outside of Tibet.
According to sources in the region, on September 27, a legal training for group chat organizers on WeChat commenced. Everyone who has organized or is planning to start a group chat on WeChat was required to attend the training, where local authorities instructed them that the content in their group chats should adhere to Chinese law, and the organizers were required to block any content that Chinese law considers 'illegal.'
Authorities also allegedly instructed that if within the group chats if illegal content, such as pornography or anything having to do with Tibetan independence, the organizers would have to take responsibility.
Organizers were also extensively instructed by a Chinese judge about Chinese laws and regulations.
WeChat is the most popular message app in China and in Tibet, used the vast majority of Tibetans both within Tibet. A popular feature of WeChat is the group messaging, which allows groups of up to 500 people converse, sharing dialogue, songs, and information.
Tibet was invaded by Communist China in 1949. Since that time, over 1.2 million out of only 6 million total Tibetans have been killed, over 6000 monasteries have been destroyed and acts of murder, rape, arbitrary imprisonment, torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment have been inflicted on the Tibetans inside Tibet. Beijing continues to call this a "peaceful liberation".