A safer Internet needs better governance

BEIJING -- As the world marked Safer Internet Day 2015 on Tuesday, which aims to promote safer and more responsible use of digital technology for children and young people, China was concerned about Internet safety in a broader sense.

China had 648 million Internet users by the end of 2014 and more than 70 percent were worried by Internet security.

Besides the safety of computers, servers and online content, cyber security includes the safety of national interests.

China has been the target of cyber attacks, over 10,000 Chinese websites are maliciously tampered every month and 80 percent of the government's websites have been hacked, according to Lu Wei, minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).

IT development globally is uneven, which means some less-digitally developed countries are at risk of being controlled by more sophisticated nations.

Mass surveillance by the United States National Security Agency (NSA) on governments and individuals disclosed since June 2013 by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden show that cyberspace also has boundaries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who also heads the central Internet security and informatization leading group, told a meeting in February 2014 that "no Internet safety means no national security".

Countries should respect for each other's sovereignty in cyberspace; all countries have the right and power to exercise jurisdiction over information facilities and activities within their own territories, and to enforce their own policies.

When governments regulate the Internet within their boundaries, they should act in line with laws and regulations, which is what China has been doing.

As the flow of information is border-free and cyber security is a common challenge faced across the globe, shared governance should also be advocated globally, just like this year's slogan for the Safer Internet Day -- "Let's create a better Internet together".