Provisions on the Management of Internet Forum Community Services

This translation was completed by ChinaLawTranslate, and is republished here with kind permission

Article 1: These Provisions are formulated on the basis of the “Cybersecurity Law of the P.R.C.”and the“State Council’s Notification of Authorization of the State Internet Information Office to be Responsible for Efforts to promote the healthy and orderly development of the internet forum community industry, so as to standardize Internet forum community services, stimulate the healthy and orderly development of Internet forum community services, protect the lawful rights and interests of citizens, legal persons, and other organizations, safeguard national security and the public interest.

Article 2: These Rules apply to the conduct of Internet forum communities within the mainland territory of the People’s Republic of China.

Internet forum community services as used in these Provisions refers to forums, message boards, communities and other forms of services on the internet that provide users with interactive information publication community platforms.

Article 3: The State Internet Information Office is responsible for supervision, management, and law enforcement efforts on Internet forum communities nationwide.  Local internet information offices are responsible for supervision, management and law enforcement efforts for Internet forum communities within that administrative region and on the basis of their duties.

Article 4: Internet forum community service industry organizations are encouraged establish and complete sytems for self-discipline in the industry and industry norms, to guide Internet forum community service providers to establish and complete industry regulation, to urge Internet forum community service providers to provide services and accept social supervision in accordance with law, and to raise the professional caliber of personnel engaged in Internet forum community services.

Article 5: Internet forum community service providers shall implement entity liability; shall establish and complete information security management systems such as for information reviews, realtime public information inspections, emergency responses and protection of personal information; and shall possess safe and controllable precautionary measures, and appoint specialized personal corresponding to the scope and model of services, so as to provide necessary technical support to relevant departments in the performance of their duties.

Article 6: Internet forum community service providers must not use Internet forum community services to publish or transmit information prohibited by laws, regulations, and relevant State provisions.

Internet forum community service providers shall sign an agreement with users clarifying that the users must not use the Internet forum coummity services to publish or transmit information prohibited by laws, regulations, and relevant State provisions, and where the circumstances are serious, the service providers are to block or shut down the relevant accounts or boards; and claifying that founders and administrators of forum community boards shall perform obligations corresponding to their powers,and where they violate legal provisions or those of the agreement or do not adequately perform obligations, the service providers shall limit or revoke their management powers in accordance with law or contract, or directly block or shut down the relevant accounts or boards.

Article 7: Internet forum community service providers shall strengthen management of their users publication of information, and where they discover that information prohibited by laws, regulations or relevant national provisions is contained therein, they shall immediately stop the transmission of that information and employ measure as deletion to handle it, storing relevant records and promptly reporting it to the State or local Internet information offices.

Article 8: Internet forum community service providers shall follow the principle of ‘real names behind the scenes, but using whatever name you please up front”, requiring users to go through identity information verification before registering accounts, and carry out identity information recording and periodic verification for the originators and administrators of boards.  Where users do not provide truthful identification information, internet forum community service providers must not provide them with information publication services.

Internet forum community service providers shall strengthen review and management of the registration of fake user identity information, board names, and summaries; and must not allow the appearance of content prohibited by laws, regulations, or relevant State provisions.

Internet forum community service providers shall protect users identification information, and must not disclose, alter, or destroy it, and must not unlawfully sell it or unlawfully provide it to others.

Article 9: Internet forum community service providers and their employees may not seek improper benefits through the publication, reprinting or deleting information, or interfering with search results, interfering with presentation sequences on dissemination platforms and other such methods.

Article 10: Internet forum community service providers carrying out business and service activities must follow the laws and administrative regulations, obey social mores and obey commercial ethics, be honest and credible, and bear social responsibility.

Article 11: Internet forum community service providers shall establish and complete systems for public complaints and reports, placing the method for complaints and reporting in a conspicuous position, actively accept public supervision, promptly handle public reports and complaints.  State and local Internet information offices are to conduct supervision and inspections of the situation of accepting reports, on the basis of their duties.

Article 12: Internet forum community service providers’ violations of these provisions will be handled by the relevant departments in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations.

Article 13: These Provisions take effect on October 1, 2017.

互联网论坛社区服务管理规定

国家互联网信息办公室

第一条 为规范互联网论坛社区服务，促进互联网论坛社区行业健康有序发展，保护公民、法人和其他组织的合法权益，维护国家安全和公共利益，根据《中华人民共和国网络安全法》《国务院关于授权国家互联网信息办公室负责互联网信息内容管理工作的通知》，制定本规定。

第二条 在中华人民共和国境内从事互联网论坛社区服务，适用本规定。

本规定所称互联网论坛社区服务，是指在互联网上以论坛、贴吧、社区等形式，为用户提供互动式信息发布社区平台的服务。

第三条 国家互联网信息办公室负责全国互联网论坛社区服务的监督管理执法工作。  地方互联网信息办公室依据职责负责本行政区域内互联网论坛社区服务的监督管理执法工作。

第四条 鼓励互联网论坛社区服务行业组织建立健全行业自律制度和行业准则，指导互联网论坛社区服务提供者建立健全服务规范，督促互联网论坛社区服务提供者依法提供服务、接受社会监督，提高互联网论坛社区服务从业人员的职业素养。

第五条 互联网论坛社区服务提供者应当落实主体责任，建立健全信息审核、公共信息实时巡查、应急处置及个人信息保护等信息安全管理制度，具有安全可控的防范措施，配备与服务规模相适应的专业人员，为有关部门依法履行职责提供必要的技术支持。

第六条 互联网论坛社区服务提供者不得利用互联网论坛社区服务发布、传播法律法规和国家有关规定禁止的信息。

互联网论坛社区服务提供者应当与用户签订协议，明确用户不得利用互联网论坛社区服务发布、传播法律法规和国家有关规定禁止的信息，情节严重的，服务提供者将封禁或者关闭有关账号、版块；明确论坛社区版块发起者、管理者应当履行与其权利相适应的义务，对违反法律规定和协议约定、履行责任义务不到位的，服务提供者应当依法依约限制或取消其管理权限，直至封禁或者关闭有关账号、版块。

第七条 互联网论坛社区服务提供者应当加强对其用户发布信息的管理，发现含有法律法规和国家有关规定禁止的信息的，应当立即停止传输该信息，采取消除等处置措施，保存有关记录，并及时向国家或者地方互联网信息办公室报告。

第八条 互联网论坛社区服务提供者应当按照“后台实名、前台自愿”的原则，要求用户通过真实身份信息认证后注册账号，并对版块发起者和管理者实施真实身份信息备案、定期核验等。  用户不提供真实身份信息的，互联网论坛社区服务提供者不得为其提供信息发布服务。

互联网论坛社区服务提供者应当加强对注册用户虚拟身份信息、版块名称简介等的审核管理，不得出现法律法规和国家有关规定禁止的内容。

互联网论坛社区服务提供者应当保护用户身份信息，不得泄露、篡改、毁损，不得非法出售或者非法向他人提供。

第九条 互联网论坛社区服务提供者及其从业人员，不得通过发布、转载、删除信息或者干预呈现结果等手段，谋取不正当利益。

第十条 互联网论坛社区服务提供者开展经营和服务活动，必须遵守法律法规，尊重社会公德，遵守商业道德，诚实信用，承担社会责任。

第十一条 互联网论坛社区服务提供者应当建立健全公众投诉、举报制度，在显著位置公布投诉、举报方式，主动接受公众监督，及时处理公众投诉、举报。  国家和地方互联网信息办公室依据职责，对举报受理落实情况进行监督检查。

第十二条 互联网论坛社区服务提供者违反本规定的，由有关部门依照相关法律法规处理。

第十三条 本规定自2017年10月1日起施行。