Courts crackdown on online misconduct, emerging business violations

Chinese courts have pledged to strengthen the crackdown on violations in emerging businesses and online misconduct to better protect personal rights and ensure the healthy development of the digital economy, an official from China's top court said on Friday.

He Xiaorong, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, said at a news conference in Beijing that the courts will strictly enforce the Civil Code to fight against social issues like cyberbullying and slander, making every effort to protect consumer rights in cyberspace and promote digital economic growth according to the law.

With China's digital economy becoming deeply integrated with the physical economy, new technologies like algorithms and big data have led to new business models and a series of new disputes and controversies, He said.

To address these, Chinese courts have formulated legal documents and released a number of notable cases related to new technologies and emerging businesses, including those on facial recognition, online consumption and cyber intellectual property, "to guarantee that these sectors can develop in an orderly, regulated and healthy manner," he noted.

Meanwhile, courts nationwide have stepped up efforts to protect personal information, clarifying that individuals and organizations will be liable for collecting excessive personal data from internet users, he added.

He recalled that during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, courts across the country concluded 2.34 million IP cases, offering innovators and businesses with a sound rule-of-law environment.

Additionally, more than 23.46 million disputes regarding people's livelihood were resolved, such as those on education, employment, elderly care and healthcare, to meet the public's legal demand, he said.