Translator’s Note: Immediately below is an official English-language article broadcast by the PRC government. Below that, I attach an English translation of an official Chinese-language article published in the PRC on 25.12.2025 (Xmas Day is not officially celebrated in China – and remains a private matter) – informing the population that a new set of regulations governing internet activity will become law on the 1.1. 2026. Tongue in cheek, I suggest China’s law is far more liberal than that practiced by the UK’s Labour government. However, on a serious note, the US has been developing corrupt, degenerate, and obscene websites in the Chinese-language (outside of China) – which disseminates pornography, gambling, and current affairs (all in one place) – with news which subtly insults China whilst eulogising the US. Although the US-controlled Western internet is banned in China – some Chinese people still manage to access it – or they encounter it whilst travelling to the West. The point for the US is to uproot the collectivity of Chinese culture and Chinese Socialism – and replace it with a capitalistic (bourgeoise) individualism (and bring down the 1949 Revolution from within). By strengthening these laws in the PRC – any attempt by the US to access the Chinese internet hinterland has been severely dented and holed beneath the water-line. Draconian internet laws in the West ensure the continuance of predatory capitalism – whilst in China the equivalent defends and supports Socialism. Either way, an unregulated internet space is considered a danger to the smooth functioning of broader society – as one aspect is considered able to seep into the other and unduly influence it. Whatever the case, I enclose all the details for the general reader to make-up their own minds. ACW (22.1.2026)

2026-01-19 Ecns.cn Editor：Mo Honge

(ECNS) — Verbal threats, insults, and online harassment may constitute legal violations under Chinese law, with offenders facing fines, detention, or even imprisonment of up to three years, according to the 2026 edition of China’s Public Security Administration Punishments Law.

Acts such as threatening others’ personal safety, publicly insulting or defaming individuals, making false accusations, harassing or stalking others, or invading privacy may result in up to 10 days of detention and fines of up to 1,000 yuan ($144). More severe cases will be subject to heavier penalties.

Those who use abusive language and cause serious consequences for others will face a maximum prison term of three years under revisions to China’s Criminal Law.

(By Zhang Jiahao)

Full Text Broadcast throughout the PRC (Translated):

Office of the Cybersecurity and Information Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Party of China Internet Information Office

People’s Commentary: Revising the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, Reshaping Social Consensus in the Digital Age

Publication Time: December 25, 2025 Source: People’s Daily Online – Opinion Channel

Starting January 1, 2026, the newly revised “Public Security Administration Punishment Law of the People’s Republic of China” (hereinafter referred to as the “New Regulations”) will officially come into effect. Article 80, which stipulates penalties for disseminating obscene information, has attracted widespread attention. The “New Regulations” explicitly bring actions such as sending indecent messages in private chats and disseminating obscene content in online communities under the rule of law. This not only corrects the long-standing misconception among the public that “private domains are exempt from legal responsibility,” but also establishes a system of online governance rules adapted to the digital age, reflecting the precision and foresight of the rule of law in responding to technological development.

For a long time, the erroneous notion that “privately disseminating obscene information on one’s own mobile phone is merely a moral issue” has been deeply ingrained, stemming from a misunderstanding of the boundaries between public and private spaces in cyberspace. In reality, online communication has broken down the physical barriers of traditional public and private spheres. Information from private chats can easily leak out of the private domain through screenshots, forwarding, and other means, evolving into harmful dissemination in the public space. Article 80 of the “new regulations” directly addresses this reality. Regardless of whether the dissemination occurs in a public WeChat group or a private chat, if there is conclusive evidence, the perpetrator can be sentenced to “detention of ten to fifteen days, and may also be fined up to 5,000 yuan; for less serious offenses, they will face detention of less than five days or a fine of 1,000 to 3,000 yuan.” This revision does not infringe upon personal privacy, but rather clarifies the boundary between privacy protection and exemption from legal consequences, because the law punishes the act of “disseminating obscene information” itself, not normal private communication.

From a governance perspective, the “new regulations” and the current criminal law form a tiered governance system of “administrative regulation as a safety net and strict criminal accountability,” creating a closely integrated network of legal regulations. Article 3 of the “Interpretation on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in Handling Criminal Cases Involving the Production, Reproduction, Publication, Sale, and Dissemination of Obscene Electronic Information Using the Internet, Mobile Communication Terminals, and Voice Information Platforms (II)” stipulates: “If a group is established on the internet primarily for the dissemination of obscene electronic information, and the number of members reaches 30 or more, or if serious consequences are caused, the founders, administrators, and main disseminators shall be convicted and punished for the crime of disseminating obscene materials in accordance with the provisions of Article 364, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Law.” For example, three QQ group administrators in Yangshan County, Qingyuan, Guangdong Province, were sentenced for allowing the dissemination of 221 obscene videos within a group with 447 members, which is a practical application of this provision. Dissemination activities that do not meet the criminal standards are regulated by the “new regulations,” forming a layered “administrative-criminal” punishment mechanism that avoids excessive intervention while also preventing regulatory gaps.

The deeper value of the “new regulations” lies in promoting the comprehensive establishment of responsible parties in cyberspace and strengthening the effectiveness of multi-stakeholder governance. The “new regulations” further clarify the supervisory responsibilities of online group administrators, dispelling the侥幸 (jìnxìng) mentality of “managers being exempt from responsibility.” As seen in cases from Guangdong province, even without the intention of making a profit, actions that meet the “serious circumstances” standard may constitute a criminal offense. This clearly demonstrates that behavioral responsibility in cyberspace “is not contingent on profit-making”; as long as it harms social order and public morals or causes harm, the corresponding legal consequences must be borne. At the same time, Article 80 of the “new regulations” explicitly states that “cases involving obscene materials or information related to minors shall be punished more severely,” echoing the principle of “the best interests of the child” in the Law on the Protection of Minors, thus forming special protection for minors, which is also a manifestation of good laws and regulations.

The new regulations, which cover all aspects of information dissemination, provide a legal basis for addressing the spread of new types of online obscene information. If platforms allow illegal information to spread, they will also be held responsible. Therefore, content review must be extended to private communication channels, which also requires regulatory authorities to further strengthen “penetrating” supervision and promote platforms’ fulfillment of their primary responsibilities.

From correcting the misconception of “private domain immunity” to improving the tiered governance system and clarifying the responsibilities of multiple stakeholders, the revision of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law is not only a step forward in legal provisions but also a reshaping of social consensus in the digital age. In today’s era of increasingly convenient online information dissemination, only by clearly defining legal boundaries and reinforcing the responsibilities of all parties can the proliferation of obscene information be effectively curbed. (Nie Shujiang)

(Editor: Danzeng Nima)

Chinese Language Text:

人民热评：修订治安管理处罚法，重塑数字时代社会共识_中共西藏自治区委员会网络安全和信息化委员会办公室

人民热评：修订治安管理处罚法，重塑数字时代社会共识

 发布时间： 2025年12月25日   文章来源： 人民网-观点频道

自2026年1月1日起，新修订的《中华人民共和国治安管理处罚法》（以下简称“新规”）将正式施行，其中第八十条对传播淫秽信息的处罚规定引发广泛关注。“新规”明确将私聊发送不雅信息、社群传播淫秽内容等行为纳入法治轨道，不仅纠正了公众长期存在的“私域免责”认知误区，也构建起适应数字时代的网络治理规则体系，体现了法治回应技术发展的精准与前瞻。

长期以来，“自己手机私下传播淫秽信息仅属道德问题”的错误观念根深蒂固，而这源于对网络空间公私边界理解的偏差。事实上，网络传播已打破传统公私场域的物理隔阂，私人聊天的信息随时可能通过截图、转发等方式流出私域范围，演变为公共空间的不良传播。“新规”第八十条正是针对这一现实作出的回应，无论传播发生在公开微信群还是私人聊天，只要证据确凿，均可处以“十日以上十五日以下拘留，可并处五千元以下罚款；情节较轻的，也将面临五日以下拘留或一千元以上三千元以下罚款”。这一修订并非侵犯个人隐私，而是划清了隐私保护与违法豁免的界限，因为法律惩处的是“传播淫秽信息”这一行为本身，而非正常的私人通信。

从治理逻辑看，“新规”与现行刑法形成了“行政监管兜底、刑事追责从严”的阶梯式治理体系，构建起严密衔接的法律规制网络。《关于办理利用互联网、移动通讯终端、声讯台制作、复制、出版、贩卖、传播淫秽电子信息刑事案件具体应用法律若干问题的解释（二）》第三条规定：“利用互联网建立主要用于传播淫秽电子信息的群组，成员达30人以上或者造成严重后果的，对建立者、管理者和主要传播者，依照刑法第三百六十四条第一款的规定，以传播淫秽物品罪定罪处罚”。例如，广东清远阳山县三名QQ群管理员因放任成员达447人的群内传播221部淫秽视频而获刑，正是该条款的实际体现。未达到刑事标准的传播行为，则由“新规”予以规制，形成“行政—刑事”分层惩戒机制，既避免过度干预，也防止出现监管真空。

“新规”的深层价值还在于推动网络空间责任主体的全面确立，强化多元共治的效能。“新规”进一步明确了网络群组管理者的监管责任，打破了“管理者无责”的侥幸心态。从广东地区的案例可见，即便没有牟利目的，只要达到“情节严重”标准即可能构成刑事犯罪。这清晰表明，网络空间中的行为责任“并不以营利为前提”，只要损害社会公序良俗、产生危害，就必须承担相应法律后果。同时，“新规”第八十条明确“淫秽物品或信息中涉及未成年人的，从重处罚”，与未成年人保护法“最有利于未成年人”的原则相呼应，形成了对未成年人的特殊保护，这也是善法良法的体现。

“新规”对传播场景的全覆盖，恰好为应对新型网络淫秽信息传播提供了法律依据。平台若放任违法信息传播，本身也需承担相应责任，因此必须将内容审核延伸至私域场景，这也要求监管部门进一步加强“穿透式”监管，同时推动平台落实主体责任。

从“私域免责”误区的纠正，到阶梯式治理体系的完善，再到多元责任主体的明确，治安管理处罚法的修订不仅是法律条文的进步，更是数字时代社会共识的重塑。在网络信息传播日益便捷的今天，唯有划清法律边界、压实各方责任，才能有效遏制淫秽信息的滋生蔓延。（聂书江）

（编辑：旦增尼玛）