Regulator eyes bullying on internet

Accounts could be suspended or permanently banned for violations

Online accounts involved in violence or bullying will be suspended or permanently banned, an official from China's top internet regulator said.

Zhang Yongjun, an official with the Cyberspace Administration of China, told a news conference held by the State Council Information Office on Thursday that those suspected of violating laws or committing crimes through their use of social media and other online accounts will face legal liabilities.

He said that online violence is a serious problem that has attracted public attention, breaches the moral bottom line and is often accompanied by violations and crimes.

"Some people bully others by insults, slander, threats and intimidation, while some detail others' personal information or disclose their private information," he said.

"Online violence not only harms others' dignity, reputation and privacy, but also seriously pollutes the social climate, so it must be firmly combated."

Zhang said the administration has cleaned up about 879,000 pieces of online harmful information so far this year and punished more than 41,000 illegal accounts.

"But given that the problem can easily return, we have to solve it by setting up a long-term work mechanism," he added.

When closing improper accounts and forbidding them from making posts to prevent online violence from getting serious, he said the administration will help websites and internet platforms analyze comments from netizens and real-time viewers.

"We'll also urge websites and platforms to improve their prevention systems by upgrading products or services, such as by providing netizens with a function that can restrain strangers from commenting or forwarding online posts," he said.

"We'll also further simplify our process for handling clues about online violence and specify the classification to offer internet users a quick and convenient channel to report related problems."

To purify the online environment and solve major internet-related irregularities, several other campaigns will also be conducted this year, including tightened scrutiny of livestreaming and short-video platforms, a crackdown on online rumors and a fight against those fabricating online views, said Sheng Ronghua, deputy head of the administration.

These campaigns have been included in the 2022 Clean and Healthy Cyberspace Initiative, he said, adding that it is a key priority of the top internet regulator this year.

Last year, the administration launched a similar initiative, in which it cleaned up more than 22 million pieces of harmful information and punished 1.3 billion illegal accounts, he said.

More than 7,200 hosts on livestreaming or short-video platforms were banned, with over 3,200 problematic websites closed and 2,160 mini programs and apps removed, he added.