New tech boosts public legal literacy

China's judicial and cyberspace authorities have pledged to leverage new technologies, platforms and products to strengthen legal education and further enhance public awareness of the law, officials said on Thursday.

"Innovative approaches to legal education are being developed, with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and algorithms to be fully utilized in legal activities," said Huang Chunhua, an official with the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country's top internet regulator.

Huang, who heads the administration's bureau of network rule of law, said the measures are aimed at implementing the Law on Publicity and Education Regarding the Rule of Law, which will take effect on Saturday.

Vice-Minister of Justice Hu Weilie said legal education and related activities should keep pace with the times, adapt to the development of cutting-edge technologies and align with changes in communication methods.

To achieve this goal, Hu encouraged the use of new technologies, media platforms, innovative products and accessible channels to accelerate the creation of a new model for legal education, ensuring it is tailored to various groups.

Under the law, officials are required to take the lead in learning, applying and adhering to the law, while legal education for youth must be further strengthened. It also mandates targeted legal activities for villagers, enterprise employees, internet users, new employment groups, the elderly, people with disabilities, migrant workers and individuals going abroad.

While supporting the use of innovative approaches, Hu also stressed that the content must be accurate and clear to avoid misleading the public.

Given that the internet has become one of the main platforms for legal education, Huang noted that cyberspace regulators countrywide have actively used online platforms in recent years to introduce laws such as the Constitution, the Civil Code and the Cybersecurity Law.

"In collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, we have also been enhancing residents' legal awareness through methods such as producing dramas and hosting offline forums," Huang said.

He added that while encouraging the creation of legal-themed literary works, videos and other content, authorities will also step up efforts to educate both online service providers and internet users about the rule of law — guiding them to voluntarily comply with laws and regulations and jointly foster a civilized and secure online environment.