Chinese Ministry of Public Security releases 10 typical cases of cracking down on cyberspace violence, illegal crimes

Police officers raise cybersecurity awareness by disseminating education pamphlets among citizens in Yangzhou, East China’s Jiangsu Province, on September 14, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

On Tuesday, China’s Ministry of Public Security released 10 typical cases of cracking down on cases of cyberspace violence and illegal crimes. Those cases included illegally hiring a group of online users to attack others, using hacking methods to obtain large volumes of personal information, and using PS and other technologies to maliciously defame others’ image.

In recent years, cyberspace violence and illegal crimes have becoming increasingly frequent, leading to some individuals experiencing “social death,” mental illness, and even suicide. This has severely disrupted the order of the internet and damaged the online ecosystem, causing a negative social impact. The Chinese public security authorities continue to maintain a “zero tolerance” attitude toward cyberspace violence and illegal crimes and have dealt with a large number of such cases, including insulting and defaming others, spreading rumors, and violating privacy.

In the first typical case, East China’s Jiangsu public security organs targeted a case of a person surnamed Zhang who hired “internet troll army” — a group of users who are paid to post online comments with vested interest on Chinese language websites — to cyberbully others.

The internet security department of Jiangsu public security organs found that during his probation period, Zhang illegally obtained a victim’s private information by installing tracking and eavesdropping devices in order to achieve long-term control over the victim. He spread and promoted indecent videos, images, and insulting articles about the victim through purchasing internet accounts and hiring an online “army.” He also sent reports with false accusation to the victim’s workplace in someone else’s name, causing the victim to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. In January 2023, Zhang was taken into custody by the public security organs in accordance with the law. Currently, Zhang has been sentenced to six years in prison and fined 10,000 yuan ($1,397.96) for the crimes of infringing on…