National People’s Congress Standing Committee Decision Concerning Safeguarding Internet Safety

Passed in the 19th Meeting of the Ninth Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, on 28 December 2000

Our country’s internet, under national energetic initiative and vigorous promotion, has gained extensive use in the construction of the economy and various businesses, as well as caused people’s production, jobs, study and lifestyle to start and continue to change rapidly and possesses an important function to the acceleration of our national economy, the development of science and technology and the progress of the informatisation in service of society. At the same time, how to ensure the safe running of the Internet and the safety of information is a question that has attracted widespread societal attention. In order to promote the beneficial, abolish the harmful, promote the healthy development of our country’s internet, protect national security and the common interest in society, protect individuals and legal persons and other group’s legal rights, the following is decided:

1: In order to protect the safe functioning of the Internet, according to the pertinent regulations of criminal law, those that conduct on of the following acts that constitute an offence, will bear the responsibility for their crimes:

(I): intrusion into the computer and information systems in the domains of national affairs, national defence construction, the frontiers of science and technology;

(II): intentional creation and dissemination of computer viruses and other destructive programmes, attacking computer systems and communication networks, causing computer systems and communication networks to sustain damage;

(III): in infringement of national regulation, without authorization breaking off computer networks or communication services, hindering the regular functioning of computer networks or communication systems.

2: In order to protect the national security and the stability of society, according to the pertinent regulations of criminal law, those that conduct on of the following acts that constitute an offence, will bear criminal responsibility:

(I):  Using the internet to start rumours, slander or issue and disseminate other sorts of harmful information, inciting the overthrow of the national regime, overthrow the socialist system, or inciting to divide the country, destroying the unity of the country.

(II): Using the Internet to steal and divulge national secrets, intelligence or military secrets.

(III): Using the Internet to incite ethnic hatred, ethnic bias, destroy the unity of the ethnic groups.

(IV): Using the Internet to organise heretic groups, contact members of heretic groups, destroy the national laws and administrative regulations that are in place.

3: In order to safeguard the socialist market economy order and societal management order, according to the pertinent regulations of criminal law, those that conduct on of the following acts that constitute an offence, will bear criminal responsibility:

(I): Using the Internet to sell false or inferior products or give publicity to false product and services;

(II): Using the Internet to damage other business’s reputation and the reputation of products;

(III): Using the Internet to violate other’s intellectual property rights;

(V): Using the Internet to fabricate and disseminate false information that influences securities and futures trade or otherwise disrupting the financial order.

(V): Building obscene websites and web pages on the internet, provide linking services to obscene websites or disseminating obscene books, photos, movies, pictures.

4: In order to protect the personal, property and other legal rights of individuals, legal persons and other groups, according to the pertinent regulations of criminal law, those that conduct on of the following acts that constitute an offence, will criminal responsibility:

(I): Using the Internet to humiliate others or trump up facts to slander others;

(II): Illegally intercepting and seizing, distorting, deleting other’s email or other data, violating citizen’s freedom to communicate and secrecy of communication;

(III): Using the Internet to perform theft, swindle, blackmail.

(V): Those using the internet to perform acts different than those listed in articles 1, 2, 3 and 4 of this decision that constitute a crime, according to the pertinent regulations of criminal law will bear the responsibility for their crimes:

6: Using the internet to perform unlawful acts, violate the management of public order, that do not yet constitute a crime, will be punished by the organs of the PSB according to the “Public order management punishment regulations”; violation of other laws, administrative regulations, that do not yet constitute a crime,  will be punished by the relevant management department according to the law, directly responsible department heads and other directly responsible persons will receive administrative sanctions or disciplinary measures according to the law.

Those using the Internet to violate the legal rights of others, that constitute a civil violation, will bear responsibility in a civil case.

7: Every level of the people’s government and relevant offices have to adopt energetic steps to value and support research and development of internet security technology, while promoting the use of the internet and the spread of network technology, in order to enhance the safe sheltering capacity of the network. The relevant controlling bodies have to strengthen propaganda and education about the safe functioning of the internet and information safety, according to the law implement effective supervision and management, be on guard and prevent the use of internet functions for every sort of illegal actions, bring about a beneficial environment for the healthy development of the internet. The work units conducting internet business have to conduct their activities according to the law, if they find out that illegal acts or harmful information appears on the internet, they have to take steps to stop the transmission of harmful information and report it to the relevant office. Any work unit and individual, when using the Internet, have to observe the law, resist every sort of illegal criminal action and harmful information. The people’s courts, people’s procuratorate, PSB, national security organs each have to perform their functions, act in close coordination, have to strike hard on every sort of illegal action that happens on the internet We must mobilize the forces of the entire society, depend on the joint effort of the entire society, to safeguard the safe functioning of the internet and information safety, promote the construction of a socialist intellectual and material civilization.

全国人大常委会关于维护互联网安全的决定
我国的互联网，在国家大力倡导和积极推动下，在经济建设和各项事业中得到日益广泛的应用，使人们的生产、工作、学习和生活方式已经开始并将继续发生深刻的变化，对于加快我国国民经济、科学技术的发展和社会服务信息化进程具有重要作用。同时，如何保障互联网的运行安全和信息安全问题已经引起全社会的普遍关注。为了兴利除弊，促进我国互联网的健康发展，维护国家安全和社会公共利益，保护个人、法人和其他组织的合法权益，特作如下决定：

一、为了保障互联网的运行安全，对有下列行为之一，构成犯罪的，依照刑法有关规定追究刑事责任：

(一)侵入国家事务、国防建设、尖端科学技术领域的计算机信息系统；

(二)故意制作、传播计算机病毒等破坏性程序，攻击计算机系统及通信网络，致使计算机系统及通信网络遭受损害；

(三)违反国家规定，擅自中断计算机网络或者通信服务，造成计算机网络或者通信系统不能正常运行。

二、为了维护国家安全和社会稳定，对有下列行为之一，构成犯罪的，依照刑法有关规定追究刑事责任：

(一)利用互联网造谣、诽谤或者发表、传播其他有害信息，煽动颠覆国家政权、推翻社会主义制度，或者煽动分裂国家、破坏国家统一；

(二)通过互联网窃取、泄露国家秘密、情报或者军事秘密；

(三)利用互联网煽动民族仇恨、民族歧视，破坏民族团结；

(四)利用互联网组织邪教组织、联络邪教组织成员，破坏国家法律、行政法规实施。

三、为了维护社会主义市场经济秩序和社会管理秩序，对有下列行为之一，构成犯罪的，依照刑法有关规定追究刑事责任：

(一)利用互联网销售伪劣产品或者对商品、服务作虚假宣传；

(二)利用互联网损害他人商业信誉和商品声誉；

(三)利用互联网侵犯他人知识产权；

(四)利用互联网编造并传播影响证券、期货交易或者其他扰乱金融秩序的虚假信息；

(五)在互联网上建立淫秽网站、网页，提供淫秽站点链接服务，或者传播淫秽书刊、影片、音像、图片。

四、为了保护个人、法人和其他组织的人身、财产等合法权利，对有下列行为之一，构成犯罪的，依照刑法有关规定追究刑事责任：

(一)利用互联网侮辱他人或者捏造事实诽谤他人；

(二)非法截获、篡改、删除他人电子邮件或者其他数据资料，侵犯公民通信自由和通信秘密；

(三)利用互联网进行盗窃、诈骗、敲诈勒索。

五、利用互联网实施本决定第一条、第二条、第三条、第四条所列行为以外的其他行为，构成犯罪的，依照刑法有关规定追究刑事责任。

六、利用互联网实施违法行为，违反社会治安管理，尚不构成犯罪的，由公安机关依照《治安管理处罚条例》予以处罚；违反其他法律、行政法规，尚不构成犯罪的，由有关行政管理部门依法给予行政处罚；对直接负责的主管人员和其他直接责任人员，依法给予行政处分或者纪律处分。

利用互联网侵犯他人合法权益，构成民事侵权的，依法承担民事责任。

七、各级人民政府及有关部门要采取积极措施，在促进互联网的应用和网络技术的普及过程中，重视和支持对网络安全技术的研究和开发，增强网络的安全防护能力。有关主管部门要加强对互联网的运行安全和信息安全的宣传教育，依法实施有效的监督管理，防范和制止利用互联网进行的各种违法活动，为互联网的健康发展创造良好的社会环境。从事互联网业务的单位要依法开展活动，发现互联网上出现违法犯罪行为和有害信息时，要采取措施，停止传输有害信息，并及时向有关机关报告。任何单位和个人在利用互联网时，都要遵纪守法，抵制各种违法犯罪行为和有害信息。人民法院、人民检察院、公安机关、国家安全机关要各司其职，密切配合，依法严厉打击利用互联网实施的各种犯罪活动。要动员全社会的力量，依靠全社会的共同努力，保障互联网的运行安全与信息安全，促进社会主义精神文明和物质文明建设。

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