A regulation aimed at combating insults and rumors on the Internet

Internet service providers responsible for cyberbullying warning systems

China has introduced a new regulation aimed at combating cyberbullying that imposes stricter requirements on online platforms and aims to improve early warning systems against online attacks, experts say.

The regulation, issued jointly by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Broadcasting Administration, defines online bullying as illegal or harmful content directed at individuals. This includes insults, gossip, defamation, discrimination, invasion of privacy, humiliation and intimidation.

The 34-article regulation, which will come into force on August 1, will require internet service providers to strengthen early warnings against potential cyberbullying.

Platforms must implement systems that monitor factors such as parties involved, event content, number of participants and frequency of information disclosure to quickly detect and warn about the risk of cyberbullying. The regulation also calls on platforms to classify cyberbullying content and use technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to identify related content and create a sample library of common cases.

Zhao Zhanling, a lawyer at Beijing Java Law Firm, praised the early warning measures and emphasized the importance of prevention.

“It is necessary to impose higher requirements on online platforms because early warning cannot be separated from their technological support,” he said.

Zhu Wei, deputy head of the Communication Law Research Center at the China University of Political Science and Law, emphasized that an important element of the regulation is the focus on early warning.

“Once cyberbullying occurs, it is difficult to completely repair the damage, so prevention is key,” he said.

The regulation specifies the responsibilities of ministries, including bodies responsible for cyberspace, public security, culture and tourism, and radio and television bodies, to ensure effective implementation.

Liu Deliang, a professor at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, said it would improve enforcement of the regulation.

Last year, the Supreme People’s Court, in cooperation with the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security, issued anti-cyberbullying guidelines following several high-profile cases. It allows judges to ask police to help gather evidence in cases of online insult or defamation and clarifies when prosecutors can take action, including public interest litigation, if internet service providers fail to address cyberbullying on their platforms.

According to the Supreme People’s Court, the number of online defamation cases last year increased by 10.3% year-on-year, and the number of convictions increased by 102.4%.