National public security bodies crack down on online rumors

The Ministry of Public Security announced on Thursday that the cybersecurity departments within the national public security organs have handled over 27,000 cases of online rumor dissemination and investigated 31,000 individuals for spreading false information since the beginning of this year.

They have also shut down more than 199,000 illegal and irregular accounts and cleared over 1.56 million pieces of online false information, it said.

At the beginning of this year, the ministry deployed national public security organs to launch a nationwide special campaign to crack down on and rectify online rumors. They promptly identified and addressed rumor-mongering related to hot public opinion events and firmly cracked down on self-media operators engaging in activities such as manipulating and fabricating rumors to attract followers and illicitly profit from spreading online rumors.

Moreover, they also took a strong stance against illegal activities, such as fabricating false information about emergencies, disasters, and incidents related to policing.

In a typical case published by the ministry, in August 2024, a man surnamed Zhang, in order to attract attention and gain followers, downloaded a video of a foreign celebrity online, maliciously edited it, and added unrelated Chinese subtitles to fabricate false video information. Zhang then spread this misinformation online, leading to wide misunderstandings among netizens and causing severe consequences. Subsequently, the police in Guangdong province took criminal coercive measures against Zhang for investigation.

The ministry stated that public security organs will continue to severely punish illegal activities related to spreading online rumors, effectively safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of citizens and the order of cyberspace.

Safeguarding cybersecurity is a shared responsibility for all parties. It is important for netizens to promptly pay attention to authoritative information and debunking information released by official sources. The ministry called on the public to report clues related to illegal activities involving online rumors to law enforcement agencies and relevant platforms.