Microblog Information Service Management Regulations

Article 1: In order to stimulate the healthy and orderly development of microblog information services, protect the lawful rights and interests of citizens, legal persons and other organizations, and safeguard national security and the public interest, on the basis of the “Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China” and the “State Council Notice concerning Authorizing the Cyberspace Administration of China to take Responsibility for Internet Information Content Work”, these Regulations are formulated.

Article 2: These Regulations apply to the conduct of microblog information services within the territory of the People’s Republic of China.

Microblog as names in these Regulations, refers to online social media services based on the use of following mechanisms, on which the transmission and acquisition of information is realized mainly through the means of brief text, images, videos, etc.

Microblog service provider refers to the subject providing the microblog platform service. Microblog service user refers to the subject using the microblog platform to engage in information dissemination, interaction, exchange and other such activities.

Microblog information service refers to the provision of microblog platform services and the use of microblog platforms to engage in information dissemination, transmission and other such acts.

Article 3: The Cyberspace Administration of China is responsible for microblog information service supervision, management and law enforcement work nationwide. Local Internet information offices are, on the basis of their duties, responsible for microblog information service supervision, management and law enforcement work within their administrative areas.

Article 4: Microblog service providers shall obtain relevant qualifications provided in laws and regulations according to the law.

Where providing Internet news information services to the social public, they shall obtain Internet news information service licences according to the law, and deliver services within the scope of the licence, they are prohibited from conducting Internet news information service activities without a licence or in excess of the licence’s scope.

Article 5: Microblog service provides shall play a vigorous role in stimulating economic development and serving the social public, carry forward the core Socialist value concept, disseminate advanced culture, persist in the correct public opinion orientation, advocate lawful Internet use, civilized Internet use and secure Internet use.

Article 6: Microblog service providers shall implement their principal responsibility for information content security management, establish and complete structures for user registration, information publication examination and verification, posting and commenting management, emergency response handling, employee education and training, etc., as well as an editor-in-chief system, have secure and controllable technology safeguards and protection measures, and allocate management personnel suited to the scale of services.

Microblog service providers shall formulate platform terms of service, and sign service agreements with microblog service users, clarifying both sides’ rights and obligations, and requiring microblog service users to abide by relevant laws and regulations.

Article 7: Microblog service providers shall, according to the principle of “real name backstage, voluntary front stage”, conduct real identity information verification and real-time inspection on the basis of their organization and entity code, identity document number, mobile telephone number and other such methods. Where microblog service users do not provide accurate identity information, microblog service providers may not provide information dissemination systems to them.

Microblog service providers shall ensure the security of microblog service users’ information, they may not leak, distort or damage it, and may not sell or illegally provide it to others.

Article 8: Microblog service users shall, where applying for verified front-stage real-name accounts, provide effective evidence materials conform to the verified information.

Where a domestic microblog service user of an organization or entity nature applies for a verified front-stage real-name account, it shall provide its organization and entity code, business licence and other such valid evidentiary materials.

Where a foreign organization or entity applies for a verified front-stage real-name account, it shall provide valid evidentiary materials issues by a body located in China.

Article 9: Microblog service providers shall, according to the principle of hierarchical and categorized management, and on the basis of the microblog service users’ subject category, published content, number of followers, credit ranking, etc., formulate concrete management rules, provide corresponding services, and file them with the national or provincial, autonomous region or municipal Internet information office.

Article 10: Microblog service providers shall conduct examination and verification of the evidentiary information of microblog service users applying for a verified front-stage real-name account, and file the matter with the national or provincial, autonomous region or municipal Internet information office according to the location of registration. Where a microblog service users provides evidentiary information that is not conform to the verification information, the microblog service provider may not provide verified front-stage real-name services to them.

All levels’ Party and government bodies, enterprise and undertaking work units, people’s organizations, news media and other such organizations have management responsibility for the information content published on the verified front-stage real-name accounts they have set up as well as their posts and comments. Microblog service providers shall provide management powers and other such necessary support.

Article 11: Microblog service providers shall establish and complete rumour-refuting mechanisms, when they discover that a microblog service provider publishes or reposts rumours or inaccurate information, they shall actively adopt rumour-refuting measures.

Article 12: Microblog service providers and microblog service users may not use microblogs to publish or disseminate information content prohibited by laws and regulations.

Where microblog service providers discover that a microblog users published or disseminated information content prohibited by laws and regulations, they shall immediately stop the dissemination of the information according to the law, adopt deletion and other such measures to deal with it, preserve relevant records, and report the matter with the relevant competent authority.

Article 13: Microblog service providers using new technologies or adjusting and adding application functions with a news and public opinion nature or social mobilization capability, they shall report the matter to the national or provincial, autonomous region or municipal Internet information office for security assessment.

Article 14: Microblog service providers shall consciously accept social supervision, set up convenient complaint reporting interfaces, and timely handle with complaints and reports from the public.

Article 15: The State encourages and guides Internet sector organizations to establish and complete self-discipline structures and sectoral norms for the Internet sector, it promotes the construction of an tiered credit evaluation and credit system for the microblog sector, urging microblog service providers to provide services according to the law, and accept social supervision.

Article 16: Microblog service providers shall abide by the provisions of relevant State laws and regulations, cooperate with relevant departments who conduct supervision, management and law enforcement work, and provide necessary technical support and assistance.

Microblog service providers shall record the daily information of microblog service users, the period of preservation shall not be less than six months

Article 17: Where microblog service providers violate the provisions of these Regulations, the relevant department will handle the matter according to relevant laws and regulations.

Article 18: These Regulations take effect on 20 March 2018.

微博客信息服务管理规定

第一条 为促进微博客信息服务健康有序发展，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微博客信息服务，应当遵守本规定。
本规定所称微博客，是指基于使用者关注机制，主要以简短文字、图片、视频等形式实现信息传播、获取的社交网络服务。
微博客服务提供者是指提供微博客平台服务的主体。微博客服务使用者是指使用微博客平台从事信息发布、互动交流等的行为主体。
微博客信息服务是指提供微博客平台服务及使用微博客平台从事信息发布、传播等行为。
第三条 国家互联网信息办公室负责全国微博客信息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的微博客信息服务的监督管理执法工作。
第四条 微博客服务提供者应当依法取得法律法规规定的相关资质。
向社会公众提供互联网新闻信息服务的，应当依法取得互联网新闻信息服务许可，并在许可范围内开展服务，禁止未经许可或超越许可范围开展互联网新闻信息服务活动。
第五条 微博客服务提供者应当发挥促进经济发展、服务社会大众的积极作用，弘扬社会主义核心价值观，传播先进文化，坚持正确舆论导向，倡导依法上网、文明上网、安全上网。
第六条 微博客服务提供者应当落实信息内容安全管理主体责任，建立健全用户注册、信息发布审核、跟帖评论管理、应急处置、从业人员教育培训等制度及总编辑制度，具有安全可控的技术保障和防范措施，配备与服务规模相适应的管理人员。
微博客服务提供者应当制定平台服务规则，与微博客服务使用者签订服务协议，明确双方权利、义务，要求微博客服务使用者遵守相关法律法规。
第七条 微博客服务提供者应当按照“后台实名、前台自愿”的原则，对微博客服务使用者进行基于组织机构代码、身份证件号码、移动电话号码等方式的真实身份信息认证、定期核验。微博客服务使用者不提供真实身份信息的，微博客服务提供者不得为其提供信息发布服务。
微博客服务提供者应当保障微博客服务使用者的信息安全，不得泄露、篡改、毁损，不得出售或者非法向他人提供。
第八条 微博客服务使用者申请前台实名认证账号的，应当提供与认证信息相符的有效证明材料。
境内具有组织机构特征的微博客服务使用者申请前台实名认证账号的，应当提供组织机构代码证、营业执照等有效证明材料。
境外组织和机构申请前台实名认证账号的，应当提供驻华机构出具的有效证明材料。
第九条 微博客服务提供者应当按照分级分类管理原则，根据微博客服务使用者主体类型、发布内容、关注者数量、信用等级等制定具体管理制度，提供相应服务，并向国家或省、自治区、直辖市互联网信息办公室备案。
第十条 微博客服务提供者应当对申请前台实名认证账号的微博客服务使用者进行认证信息审核，并按照注册地向国家或省、自治区、直辖市互联网信息办公室分类备案。微博客服务使用者提供的证明材料与认证信息不相符的，微博客服务提供者不得为其提供前台实名认证服务。
各级党政机关、企事业单位、人民团体和新闻媒体等组织机构对所开设的前台实名认证账号发布的信息内容及其跟帖评论负有管理责任。微博客服务提供者应当提供管理权限等必要支持。
第十一条 微博客服务提供者应当建立健全辟谣机制，发现微博客服务使用者发布、传播谣言或不实信息，应当主动采取辟谣措施。
第十二条 微博客服务提供者和微博客服务使用者不得利用微博客发布、传播法律法规禁止的信息内容。
微博客服务提供者发现微博客服务使用者发布、传播法律法规禁止的信息内容，应当依法立即停止传输该信息、采取消除等处置措施，保存有关记录，并向有关主管部门报告。
第十三条 微博客服务提供者应用新技术、调整增设具有新闻舆论属性或社会动员能力的应用功能，应当报国家或省、自治区、直辖市互联网信息办公室进行安全评估。
第十四条 微博客服务提供者应当自觉接受社会监督，设置便捷的投诉举报入口，及时处理公众投诉举报。
第十五条 国家鼓励和指导互联网行业组织建立健全微博客行业自律制度和行业准则，推动微博客行业信用等级评价和信用体系建设，督促微博客服务提供者依法提供服务、接受社会监督。
第十六条 微博客服务提供者应当遵守国家相关法律法规规定，配合有关部门开展监督管理执法工作，并提供必要的技术支持和协助。
微博客服务提供者应当记录微博客服务使用者日志信息，保存时间不少于六个月。
第十七条 微博客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。
第十八条 本规定自2018年3月20日起施行。