Creating a clean cyberspace to deal with online violence

The Cyberspace Administration of China, the nation’s top internet watchdog, recently launched a campaign requiring websites and platforms to focus on centralized internet rectification and establish a long-term mechanism against internet violence. This was badly needed.

Apart from polluting the cyberspace, cyber violence inflicts heavy mental pressure and psychological trauma on many. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been subjected to online violence in the form of abuse after details of their personal lives were made public.

In March, the Supreme People’s Court pointed out in its work report that those infringing upon people’s privacy and inciting online abuse should undertake criminal responsibility and be investigated.

Earlier this year, the cyberspace administration had launched a similar drive focused on rectifying acts of online violence such as inciting netizens into confrontation using issues such as the pandemic.

The latest campaign emphasizes comprehensive and whole-chain internet governance and rectification. From improving monitoring and identification to strengthening real-time protection, from strictly preventing the spread of online violence to tracing the source, the internet regulator is trying its best to contain internet violence, check the harm it can cause and protect people’s rights and interests.

The latest campaign puts forward that more details will be worked out to further refine standards for online violence, and strengthen behavior identification and discovery of public opinion to timely detect online violence and tendentious problems. If practical measures are taken at an early time, information inciting online violence can be prevented from going viral.

The establishment of a sound real-time protection mechanism against online violence or the strict prevention of the spread of information that can trigger such violence can prevent people from falling victims to it. The internet is by no means a territory free of the rule of law.

Aside from precise institutional arrangements from the authorities, civilized behavior by internet users and efforts by major platforms to fulfill their duties are also needed to create a clean cyber environment.

The fight against cyber violence requires comprehensive and systematic rectification of cyberspace and the information ecology. As long as the country continues to work to build a civilized, healthy and progressive internet environment, introduces the rule of law and strengthens governance, cyber violence will be effectively curbed sooner or later.