China's internet czar has stepped down as the deputy head of the Central Committee's publicity department.

Lu Wei, 56, the gatekeeper of China’s internet, will be replaced by his deputy Xu Lin, who is a rising political star. Lu has long been an outspoken and controversial figure within the Communist Party. Analysts say that it is not yet clear whether he has fallen out of favor or will be promoted.

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“One explanation is that he is being groomed for higher position, possibly including a senior provincial position or a more influential role within the Central Propaganda Department. A second explanation is that Lu ran afoul of an anti-corruption investigation,” said Eurasia Group's CEO Samm Sacks.

Under Lu’s leadership, anonymous postings online have declined as he introduced a new set of requirements for Internet users during their registration of online accounts with their real names and phone numbers, making it easy for Chinese security officials to locate people who make controversial comments online. Lu has been a loyal ally in advancing President Xi Jinping’s plans for cybersecurity, leading to an increased heavy internet censorship program China, which is dubbed as the Great Firewall.

However, he is also a proponent of the use of social media, urging the 60,000 propaganda officials in Beijing to study and use Weibo for communication. His emphasis on the use of social media pioneered the party utilization of internet propaganda as the population of netizens in China continued to explode.

His replacement Xu Lin appears to have same views to Lu Wei when it comes to the party's role in monitoring the internet.

The Chinese government censors various internet information, and blocks access to foreign media and social networking sites such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram.

Tagschina, Lu Wei, China Internet Czar, Great Firewall, weibo, China Lu Wei, Xu Lin, Xi Jinping