Petition to end China's censorship and information manipulation on the information environment in the USA!

We, the undersigned, are increasingly concerned about China's censorship and manipulation of American media and social media platforms. In the past year or two, we have noticed that Chinese internet police and overseas agents have infiltrated Western social media platforms, assuming roles such as editors, moderators, and administrators. Their purpose is to spread false and misleading information, censor the information they wish to hide, and disrupt public discourse. This observation aligns with the recent US State Department report on 'How the People's Republic of China Seeks to Reshape the Global Information Environment.'

Unfortunately, most of the American public is unaware of China's censorship and information manipulation because it primarily targets narratives related to China that may not immediately concern them. However, we firmly believe that our current knowledge is just the tip of the iceberg of a larger problem.

A case known as the 'Harvard Doctor Incident' demonstrates that Chinese internet police and agents can manipulate overseas media platforms to allow false information to persist in the international information space for over two decades without being exposed.

The 'Harvard Doctor Incident' was a media defamation campaign initiated by the Chinese Communist Youth League's mouthpiece, China Youth Daily, with the aim of destroying the reputation and career of Dr. Chen Lin, the first Chinese graduate of Harvard Kennedy School. However, it is not an isolated media event. It encompasses a series of escalating events, including spreading rumors and defamation, threats, attempted murder, spanning over two decades.

The 'Harvard Doctor Incident' reveals the dark side of Chinese state media. It is because of this that Chinese internet authorities have consistently blocked the truth of the incident for over two decades. Within China, they have completely suppressed Dr. Chen Lin's narratives and refutation of the accusations made by China Youth Daily. Overseas, Chinese internet police and agents, disguised as editors, moderators, and administrators, lurking on social media platforms such as Wikipedia, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter, Quora, and Google, have shadow-banned, marginalized, and deleted Dr. Chen Lin's narratives.

In this way, Chinese internet police have effectively silenced one person on a global scale. China's censorship and information manipulation has proven distressfully effective. Even experienced Western journalists are either unaware of the 'Harvard Doctor Incident' or misled by misinformation and disinformation.

When the internet was first introduced to the public over two decades ago, then-President Clinton expressed hope that it would promote universal values and democratic governance in China. However, it has become evident that the internet is now being manipulated and controlled by Chinese authorities as a powerful tool to disseminate false information, distort facts, conceal crimes, and surveil dissidents. Nevertheless, we believe it is not too late to take action.

This petition urges the Biden administration and US lawmakers to put an end to China's censorship and information manipulation on American media platforms. We must ensure the free flow of information in the Western world, preserve a clean information environment, and safeguard freedom of speech for both Americans and the Chinese diaspora communities.