In recent years, the online ecosystem related to the military has continued to improve positively, but there are also some self-media accounts that fabricate false information, associate and sensationalize based on speculation, seriously misleading public perception and affecting the image of the military and its personnel. Recently, military and civilian functional departments have legally and regulatively dealt with a batch of online illegal and non-compliant information and self-media accounts. Here, we select and report on some typical cases.

I. Fabrication of Military Rumors. Some self-media accounts, under the guise of "military storytelling" and "military romance," consume the patriotic sentiments of the masses under the pretext of military science popularization. WeChat public accounts such as "Fission Research Institute" and "Wang Po Selling Melons" spread rumors like "our naval vessels sinking four foreign military ships." Some accounts fabricate military "thrilling articles" and "self-indulgent" interpretations by means of splicing, stitching, and editing, creating false content such as "South China Sea electronic warfare hours" and "border conflicts erupting."

II. Fabricating Military Historical Facts. Some accounts engage in historical nihilism under the guise of "scientific argumentation" and "decoding mysteries." For example, Zhihu accounts like "June's Wild Fantasies" and "Chen Bihong" propagate erroneous narratives such as "only a small portion of Japanese soldiers were killed by guerrilla warfare on the Chinese battlefield" and "there is an inconsistency in the historical facts of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir," distorting historical truths and misleading public perception.

III. Tarnishing the Image of the Military. The site owner "Totem Tactical Plan" maliciously released confidential information such as the names, ranks, and ID numbers of active-duty military personnel. TikTok accounts such as "Kaiyu Positive Energy" and "Brother Feng Positive Energy" fabricated rumor information like "The son went to the military despite opposition, but years later, the mother saw her son's ashes"; TikTok accounts like "Little Tuanzi Good Baby," "Lotus Mist," and "Xiaonan Not Hard" spread false information such as "The son graduated from the 'Military Tsinghua' National Defense University a year ago, but no one is willing to hire him."

4. Misinterpretation of Military Policies. Some accounts speculate and spread false information such as "the military participating in financial warfare." Some users on Baidu Tieba have posted distorted information about the civil service personnel system, becoming a gathering place for negative sentiments. Some WeChat public accounts have spread so-called "insider news," claiming that the military will restart the "military to civilian" transition, and have misinterpreted policies related to welfare benefits and post-military placement.

V. Inciting Military-Civilian Confrontation. Headline accounts such as "Gan Yi Bei Ya" and "Lao Zhang Talks About Current Affairs" have sensationalized the notion that "maintaining an army consumes vast amounts of funds" and advocated for "reducing the military to alleviate fiscal pressure," thereby stirring up military-civilian conflicts. Some accounts, during the college entrance examination season and recruitment season, have made inappropriate comparisons between military and civilian university admissions, military and civilian career development, and have exaggerated negative information related to military academy admissions and military recruitment to mislead public opinion.

6. Exploiting Military Sentiment for Consumption. Douyin accounts such as "Guofang Fabu" and "Guofang Bubu" maliciously associated and misused official military account information, setting up fake accounts. Taobao merchant "Zan Jia De Baihuo Pu" illegally used images of the "Ice Sculpture Company" to conduct malicious marketing promotions. Some Taobao and Xianyu accounts used specific military terms and patterns to sell counterfeit and shoddy goods such as "Military Moutai" and "Military Special Supply," as well as imitation military uniforms. Some WeChat mini-programs published false recruitment information, using the military's name to mislead applicants into purchasing services.

Military and local authorities have stated that they will continue to resolutely crack down on illegal and non-compliant activities involving the military in the self-media sphere, strictly investigate and deal with the account owners who disseminate and hype false information, and expose typical cases. They also welcome the participation of relevant departments and netizens in reporting, working together to create a good online environment related to the military.