China targets ‘toxic’ traffic as viral sensations upend daily life and public services

Authorities in China are taking content creators, fan groups and online platforms to task as their aggressive pursuit of online traffic upends lives and public services across the country. State media and local authorities have called on these parties to exercise restraint and stop attention-seeking behaviour from getting out of control. The warnings followed a wave of public attention that hit a 75-year-old man and his wife in Shaoxing in eastern Zhejiang province this month. Crowds of...