The Twitter-like service announces that it will initiate a "clean-up campaign" that will target "manga (Japanese comics) and pornographic, violent or homosexual-related videos" as well as games with violent content like Grand Theft Auto.
This decision makes the users upset. They then protested online using the "I gay" tag that was used about 170 thousand times before Weibo blocked it.
"Can not there be homosexuality under socialism?" one user asked, according to AFP.
"It is unbelievable that China is growing rapidly in economic and military terms, but back to the old age in terms of ideas."
China no longer regarded homosexuality as a crime in 1997 and did not consider it a mental illness in 2001. However, the government continued to hunt for themed content (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender).
Unfortunately, nothing users can do to stop this Weibo campaign. Because of new regulations in China, governments can pressure private companies to censor content they deem to be off limits. The regulations also make it easier for authorities to monitor their communities.
Weibo said they had removed 56,243 "illegal content" and removed 108 user accounts since they started their campaign. That number will continue to rise.
