Recently, the State Internet Information Office released the Regulations on Ecological Governance of Network Information Content (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations), which will come into force on March 1, 2020. The relevant person in charge of the State Internet Information Office said that the Regulations were issued to create a good network ecology, protect the legitimate rights and interests of citizens, legal persons and other organizations, and safeguard national security and public interests.

The Decision of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly proposed that we should establish and improve a comprehensive network governance system, strengthen and innovate the construction of Internet content, implement the main responsibility of Internet enterprise information management, comprehensively improve the network governance ability, and create a clear network space. Strengthening the network ecological governance is the need to establish and improve the network comprehensive governance system, cultivate a positive, healthy and positive network culture, and also the need to safeguard the vital interests of the vast number of Internet users.

The Regulations proposed that online information content producers should be encouraged to produce, copy and publish "to publicize Xi Jinping's thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, and comprehensively, accurately and vividly interpret the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics" And the positive energy message of "carrying forward the core socialist values, publicizing excellent moral culture and the spirit of the times, and fully demonstrating the uplifting spirit of the Chinese nation". Network information content producers shall not produce, copy or publish illegal information containing "endangering national security, divulging state secrets, subverting state power, and undermining national unity" and "harming national honor and interests", and shall take measures to prevent and resist producing, copying and publishing information containing "using exaggerated titles, and the content is seriously inconsistent with the title" And "hyping scandal, scandal, and evil deeds".

The Regulations emphasize that the network information content service platform should fulfill the main responsibility of information content management, strengthen the ecological governance of the network information content of the platform, and cultivate a positive, healthy and upward looking network culture. The network information content service platform shall establish an ecological governance mechanism for network information content, formulate detailed rules for the ecological governance of network information content of the platform, and improve systems such as user registration, account management, information release review, post review review, page ecological management, real-time patrol, emergency disposal, network rumors, black industry chain information disposal, etc.

The Regulations require that the network information content service platform shall not disseminate illegal information as specified in Article 6 of the Regulations, and shall prevent and resist the dissemination of bad information as specified in Article 7 of the Regulations. The network information content service platform shall strengthen the management of information content. If it discovers the information specified in Articles 6 and 7 of these Provisions, it shall immediately take measures to deal with it according to law, keep relevant records, and report to the relevant competent department. Encourage the network information content service platform to adhere to the mainstream value orientation, optimize the information recommendation mechanism, strengthen the ecological management of page layout, actively present the positive energy information specified in Article 5 of this provision in key links, and not present the bad information specified in Article 7 of this provision in key links.

The Regulations specify that users of network information content services should use the network in a civilized and healthy manner, earnestly fulfill their corresponding obligations in accordance with the requirements of laws and regulations and the user agreement, interact with each other in a civilized and rational manner when participating in network activities in the form of posting, replying, leaving messages, and pop-up screens, and should not release illegal information as specified in Article 6 of the Regulations, Prevent and resist the bad information specified in Article 7 of the Regulations. Users, producers and platforms of network information content services shall not carry out illegal activities such as network violence, human flesh search, deep forgery, traffic fraud and account manipulation.

The relevant person in charge of the National Internet Information Office pointed out that the ecological governance of network information content needs the participation of government, enterprises, society, netizens and other parties to jointly build a good network ecology and create a clear cyberspace.