China publishes laws to regulate cyber violence to create a healthy internet ecosystem

Chinese authorities on Friday issued a regulation regulating cyberspace violence, which will come into force on August 1 this year, with the aim of regulating cyberspace, establishing a healthy internet ecosystem, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of citizens, and protecting the public interest, it said. authorities.

The Cyberspace Administration of China, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Broadcasting Administration, has published a regulation titled “Provisions on the Management of Information Regarding Cyberspace Violence.”

The regulation aims to improve information management regarding online violence by defining responsibilities for managing online content, implementing a preventive mechanism, regulating violent content and account deletions, protecting users’ rights, strengthening supervision and clarifying legal obligations.

It further establishes a mechanism for managing information about online violence, effectively increasing management efficiency, an official of the China Cyberspace Administration said.

“Online violence information is harmful and illegal content spread on the Internet, including insults, defamation, hate speech, coercion, invasion of privacy, discrimination and other content that may have a negative impact on physical and mental health,” the official noted.

Under the regulation, network information service providers should take immediate action to stop transmitting or displaying information related to online violence and illegal activities on their platforms. This includes removing, blocking or disconnecting links, maintaining records and reporting to appropriate authorities. If illegal activity is suspected, he or she should report it to public security authorities, provide appropriate information and cooperate with investigations in accordance with the law.

Additionally, network information service providers must verify the true identity of users before providing services such as instant messaging. According to the regulation, if users do not provide authentic identity information, providers will not be able to offer them related services.

They should implement a user account credit management system to track and punish illegal and irregular incidents of online violence.

Online news service providers must not publish or republish news about online violence in a sensational or biased manner. Commenting services should require pre-approval before publication. According to authorities, if false or dishonest news about online violence is published, it should be publicly corrected to minimize its impact.

The regulation sets out requirements to protect users’ rights in managing information about online violence, including establishing a robust network protection function, improving rules on private messages, preserving evidence and handling complaints. Cases involving minors should be treated as a priority and reported to the appropriate departments.