Chinese social media site Weibo/ flickr Creative Commons

Anyone caught using social media to spread "slanderous rumors" or "false information" about the government or politics can face up to 10 years in jail, according to a new legal interpretation of Internet restrictions.

The sharing of such rumors can automatically acquire a defamation charge, which can lead to three years in jail, but as viewership heightens, so does the penalty. A post that is read by 5,000 people or reposted more than 500 times can add seven years to the creator's jail time, state media reported.

"No country would consider the slander of other people as 'freedom of speech,'" said court spokesman Sun Jungong.

Some Twitter-like Weibo users disagree, and find the rules to be too strict. 

"It's far too easy for something to be reposted 500 times or get 5,000 views. Who is going to dare say something now?" wrote one user. 

This suppression targets a wider range of users, unlike the 2011 crackdown that focused on censoring activists and protestors, but China believes this is the best way to counteract the spread of irresponsible rumors. 

Reach executive producer Cortney Riles here.