▌Guideline urges harsher penalties for cyberbullies
依法从严惩治网络暴力违法犯罪
▌Jointly issued by the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security on September 25th, the guideline on dealing with cases involving cyberbullying aims to help the country clean up the online environment and protect the legitimate rights of internet users.
▌Individuals or departments that bully the disabled in cyberspace, fabricate sex-related topics to infringe upon others' dignity, or use generative artificial intelligence technologies to post illegal information, will also be harshly punished, said the guideline.
▌Those who insult or slander several others, or spread defamation multiple times, bringing seriously negative effects to society, will also be prosecuted, the guideline said. It also allows prosecutors to initiate public-interest lawsuits if they find internet service providers do not take measures or perform their duties when cyberbullying happens on their platforms, causing improper or even illegal content to be spread online.
