I mainly use the Internet Website Security Management Service Platform of the Public Security Bureau to search for policy documents, and classify them according to "Commentary and Messages," "Article Copyright and Compliance," and "Cybersecurity and Information Protection." This clarifies the responsibilities that blog website owners should fulfill in various aspects, and this article also strives to provide solutions to relevant issues.
Commentary and Messages#
Blog websites are platforms with public opinion attributes or social mobilization capabilities. Among them, the comment and message function belongs to the comment posting service and should comply with the "Internet Comment Posting Service Management Regulations" (effective from December 15, 2022). According to these regulations, blog owners (i.e., comment posting service providers) should fulfill the following responsibilities:
- Review comments and messages after they are posted
- Authenticate the real identity information of comment posting service users (comment authors) based on mobile phone numbers, ID card numbers, or unified social credit codes
According to online rumors, the interactive filing requirements of the public security bureau (relevant public policy documents have not been found at present) are as follows:
- Collect the commenter's IP address, port number, and precise comment time to the second, and store it for no less than 6 months
The issue of copyright in comment and message content may involve blog owners in copyright disputes, such as Lu Songsong receiving a court summons and being sued for 6,000 yuan due to user comment infringement.
WordPress has a plugin called "Public Security Filing" (author: Yang Jingwen), which can collect and store the commenter's IP, comment time, and port number. In "Settings-Discussion," you can set "Comments must be manually approved." Conditional website owners can use Tencent or Baidu's text content review interface.
Article Copyright and Compliance#
The following points should be noted in the "Notice on Regulating the Copyright Order of Internet Media" (State Council General Office [2015] No. 3):
- 1. When internet media reprint others' works, they should comply with the relevant provisions of copyright laws and regulations, obtain permission from the copyright owner, pay remuneration, and indicate the author's name, work title, and source. Except as otherwise provided by laws and regulations.
- 3. When internet media reprint others' works, they should not make substantial modifications to the content of the works; if they make textual modifications and deletions to the title and content, they should not distort or tamper with the original meaning of the title and work.
- 4. The term "current news" referred to in Article 5 of the Copyright Law refers to pure factual news reported through newspapers, periodicals, radio stations, television stations, and other media. Such pure factual news is not protected by copyright law. Works such as news, communications, features, and reports that involve the original labor of the copyright owner are not considered pure factual news. When internet media reprint such works, they must obtain permission from the copyright owner and pay remuneration.
Currently, there is still controversy in China regarding the recognition of licenses such as CC0. Please strictly comply with the "Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China" when quoting or reprinting.
According to the "Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China" (revised for the third time on November 11, 2020), the following situations do not require permission from the copyright owner, do not require payment of remuneration, but should indicate the author's name or name, work title, and should not affect the normal use of the work or unreasonably harm the legitimate rights and interests of the copyright owner (excerpt):
- For personal study, research, or appreciation, use works that have already been published by others
- For introducing or commenting on a certain work or explaining a certain issue, appropriately quote works that have already been published by others
According to the "Regulations on the Governance of Internet Information Content" (effective from March 1, 2020), network information content producers are not allowed to produce, copy, or publish illegal information that contains the following content (excerpt):
- Opposing the fundamental principles established by the Constitution
- Endangering national security, leaking state secrets, subverting state power, or undermining national unity
- Harming national honor and interests
- Distorting, ridiculing, blaspheming, or denying the deeds and spirits of heroes, insulting, defaming, or otherwise infringing upon the names, portraits, reputations, and honors of heroes
- Inciting ethnic hatred or discrimination, undermining ethnic unity
- Undermining the state's religious policies, promoting cults and feudal superstitions
- Spreading rumors, disrupting economic order and social order
- Spreading obscene, pornographic, gambling, violent, murderous, terrorist, or instigating criminal activities
- Insulting or defaming others, infringing upon the reputation, privacy, and other legitimate rights and interests of others
This regulation provides detailed explanations for content that encourages or resists creation. Bloggers should read this regulation and make improvements to their article content.
Cybersecurity and Information Protection#
In terms of information protection, the "Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Strengthening Network Information Protection" (passed and implemented on December 28, 2012) has the following provisions:
- Network service providers and other enterprises and institutions should publicly disclose their rules for collecting and using personal electronic information of citizens (publish privacy policies)
- Network service providers and other enterprises and institutions should take technical measures and other necessary measures to ensure information security and prevent the leakage, damage, and loss of personal electronic information collected in their business activities
Similar requirements regarding informing individuals about personal information are also stated in Chapter 1, Section 17 of the "Personal Information Protection Law of the People's Republic of China" (effective from November 1, 2021). Blog owners should publish privacy policies and inform individuals about the handling of personal information, including:
- The name or name and contact information of the personal information processor
- The purpose and method of processing personal information, the types of personal information processed, and the retention period
- The methods and procedures for individuals to exercise their rights under this law
The "Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China" (effective from June 1, 2017) stipulates that "providers of network products and services shall provide continuous security maintenance for their products and services." Blog owners should check whether their websites have installed firewalls.