China Announces New Requirements for Online News and Information Websites
CAC, 8/17/16
The Cyberspace Administration of China held a meeting yesterday in Beijing to discuss websites' responsibilities for managing the security of online information, and subsequently announced several new requirements for websites that provide online news and information services.
The new rules require online news and information services to:
- Establish an editor-in-chief responsibility system, according to which the editor-in-chief must assume overall responsibility for directing the production and dissemination of news content.
- Improve mechanisms for handling the appointment, management, review, and dismissal or retirement of editors-in-chief and core content management personnel.
- Publish factually accurate information that comes from authorized sources and conforms with the law.
- Enhance information content security technology safeguards and establish a news report auditing system. Security evaluation of new products, applications, and features such as online live broadcasts and bullet screen comments should be improved.
- Implement a 24x7 work shift system and discussion (comment) thread management system, improve user registration management systems, strengthen content management teams, and process violation reports in a timely fashion.
Editor's Note: CAC's release did not specify a date by which online news and information services must be in full compliance with the new rules. For more information on China's recent crack down on online news media sites, please see "China Cracks Down on Online News Media Sina, Sohu, NetEase, iFeng," MD 7/24/16 issue.
Keywords: Internet online news media Cyberspace Administration of China regulation online information service