ZHENG LIANG
Online hate speech, harassment, threats, intimidation, and cyber-bullying
have contaminated parts of the Internet and pose genuine off-line risks,
with a disproportionate impact on women, children, ethnic minorities, and
migrants. Failure to take action will result in further shrinking of civic
space, decreased participation, and a continuing risk of enhanced
discrimination. These challenges drive us back to the principles of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) promulgated the Cyber
Security Law (CSL) in 2017. Article 12 of the Law places regulations over
contents that may be interpreted as offensive towards other ethnic groups
and may incite ethnic hatred or discrimination. CAC also issued a series of
significant regulations on Internet management, which includes
strengthening real-name registration and making individuals who host
public accounts responsible for their platforms’ content.
Any Internet company operating in China is expected to bear responsibility
for the content published on its platforms. The CSL requires all network
operators to monitor user-generated content for information that may
"incite ethnic hatred". At the World Internet Conference 2019, China Soong
Ching Ling Foundation, China Children and Teenagers' Fund, and tech
giant Tencent jointly called for concerted efforts to ensure a better
environment for the vast number of underage internet users, to protect
children who had experienced cyber-bullying or cyber-harassment.
Overall, the Chinese government, NGOs, and academia have all
demonstrated outstanding leadership in eliminating discrimination and
protecting minority rights in the country.