China Wants Greater Internet Control

China already boasts the world’s most sophisticated Internet censorship system. According to the Chinese Communist Party, it isn’t good enough.

In an explanation of its reform blueprint released late Friday, the party said that the Internet poses “a new comprehensive challenge” to the country’s stability. Though much of the language within it reflects previous boilerplate statements, the explanation specifically names Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s‘s mobile messaging application WeChat among the different social media tools it says pose problems. “Following the increasing power of online media, Internet media and industry management has lagged far behind the quick changes that have come with its development. In particular [we] face the rapid growth of social networking and instant communication tools, like Weike and WeChat, which disseminate information rapidly, have a large influence and broad coverage, and have a strong ability to mobilize society,” the explanation in part reads. The statement goes on to add “how [we] strengthen the legal system and public opinion guidance, guarantee the orderly spread of information online, national security, and social stability, has already become a real and prominent problem.”