For a healthy virtual world

Authorities have the duty to take steps to keep Internet free of violence, obscenity and seditious elements

The development of the Internet as a medium of communication in China has been phenomenal since the mid-1990s.

In 1997, only 299,000 computers in China were linked to the Internet, with 620,000 people venturing into cyberspace. But by the end of 2013, the number of people surfing the virtual world had crossed 618 million, which means 45.8 percent of China's total population uses the Internet, which is higher than the world average.

The Internet has become a new channel for people to express their opinions and thus exercise their freedom of speech, and according to the Constitution, every Chinese citizen has the right to freedom of expression.

The Internet has become the primary source of information and main channel of expression for netizens in China, a report in December said. News websites cater to 490 million users, and instant messenger services like QQ and MSN have 530 million users, with another 430 million users attached to blogs and similar services. Microblogging websites have 270 million users.

The Internet is playing an increasingly important role in helping people voice their opinions on ordinary things and events. Many people use online forums and websites to participate in political affairs, gather information and gain knowledge, and express their views on public policies. People's enthusiasm for cyberspace is reflected in the use of the Internet by various levels of governments to solicit public opinion on a host of issues. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Internet has become an essential reference point for governments in their decision-making process.

But freedom of any kind has its boundaries, and freedom of expression on the Internet is no exception. Only if proper boundaries are set for it and order is maintained on the Internet can people fully enjoy their freedom in the virtual as well as the real worlds.

Proper regulation of the Internet is also a basic principle of the rule of law. In fact, it is an important part of every country's administration to regulate the Internet and ensure its citizens enjoy freedom of speech online.