China has unveiled a draft law aimed at tackling cyberbullying, introducing stricter measures to protect victims of online abuse while placing greater responsibility on internet platforms to detect and respond to harmful content.
The proposed legislation, released on Wednesday, contains 60 articles and will remain open for public consultation until Aug. 28, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.
Chinese authorities said the draft law is designed to prevent, deter and punish cyberbullying, establishing a legal framework to address a growing range of online harassment.
Under the proposal, cyberbullying is defined as sustained or coordinated online behavior that violates an individual’s lawful rights, including their reputation, honor, privacy, portrait rights and personal information.
The draft identifies a wide range of prohibited behavior, including the mass spread of insults, rumors, hate speech, threats, discriminatory comments and what it describes as “divisive content.” It also targets the unlawful disclosure of personal information and repeated online intimidation or harassment.
If adopted, the legislation would require internet platforms to introduce stronger safeguards, including user registration and account management systems, privacy protection measures, content moderation tools, early-warning mechanisms, incident response procedures and complaint-handling systems.
Authorities also propose a tiered enforcement system, with responses determined by factors such as the type of offense, the number of people involved, the scale of its impact and the severity of harm caused.
The draft further seeks to cut off support for cyberbullying activities by prohibiting organizations or individuals from knowingly providing technical services such as internet access, server hosting, data storage, communications transmission, advertising, funding or payment services to those engaged in online abuse.
In addition, it would ban the sale or sharing of personal information, as well as the sale, rental or lending of phone SIM cards, Internet of Things (IoT) cards and online accounts when they are intended to facilitate cyberbullying activities.
The proposal marks China’s latest effort to tighten regulation of online platforms and strengthen legal protections against digital harassment.
News.Az
By Aysel Mammadzada
