Regulating cyberspace

The Internet should not be exempt from the law just because it is cyberspace. Regulations are needed to restrict the damage from malicious use, says an article in China Youth Daily. Excerpts:

The Internet undoubtedly has self-correcting capabilities. Some rumors arise from the Internet and are finally terminated by the Internet.

But we should not put too much faith in its self-correcting capabilities, because some rumors cause negative effects before they are proved wrong. That rumors spread faster than truth fosters an environment where "bad money drives out the good money".

In this sense, there should be external disciplinary power to deter the rumor fabricators from making and spreading rumors and guarantee that violators are punished in order to promote a healthy online environment.

International experience shows that a well-enforced law on Internet administration and supervision is one of the most effective ways to establish the external power to deal with problems, such as fraud and libel, which cannot be solved by the Internet's self-correcting abilities.

Cyberspace is not a special zone exempt from the law. The freedom and openness of the Internet cannot be guaranteed without a well-functioning legal framework to prevent abuse. Making a law on Internet administration according to the real conditions of the online landscape in China is what the legislative authorities need to do now.

(China Daily 12/24/2012 page9)