As a part of China's latest intensified effort to deal with cyber violence, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security on Tuesday released 10 typical cases of such crimes that have been cracked down in recent years, including cases of defamation, insults and provoking trouble through the internet. Saying that current regulations and laws are inadequate for dealing with these various cyber violence cases, some legal experts called for special legislation to more strictly curb cyberbullying, which can protect netizens' trust and security as well as ensure the orderly development of the internet. In recent years, cyber violence has becoming increasingly frequent, leading to some individuals to experience "social death" or mental illness, and even commit suicide. "Social death" refers to the condition of people not accepted as fully human by wider society. This has severely disrupted the order of the internet and damaged the internet ecosystem, causing a negative social impact. In the first typical case, East China's Jiangsu public security organs investigated a case of a person surnamed Zhang who hired an "internet troll army" - a group of users who are paid to post online comments - to cyberbully others. The Internet Security Department of Jiangsu Public Security found that during his probation period, Zhang illegally obtained a victim's private information by installing tracking and eavesdropping devices to achieve long-term control over his victim. He spread and promoted indecent videos, images, and insulting articles about the victim by purchasing internet accounts and hiring an "internet troll army."
作为中国最新加大力度应对网络暴力的一部分，中国公安部周二发布了近年来被打击的10起典型网络犯罪案例，其中包括通过互联网进行的诽谤、侮辱和挑衅麻烦案件。
一些法律专家表示，当前的法规和法律不足以应对这些不同形式的网络暴力案件，呼吁制定特别立法更严格地打击网络欺凌，以保护网民的信任和安全，确保互联网的有序发展。
近年来，网络暴力事件越来越频繁，导致一些个体经历“社会死亡”或精神疾病，甚至自杀。 “社会死亡” 指的是被更广泛社会拒绝为完全人类的状态。这严重扰乱了互联网秩序，损害了互联网生态系统，造成了负面社会影响。
在第一个典型案例中，中国东部江苏省的公安机关调查了一起姓张的个体雇佣“网络喷子军” - 一群受雇发布在线评论的用户 - 以进行网络欺凌的案件。
江苏省公安局互联网安全部门发现，在试用期期间，张某通过安装跟踪和窃听设备非法获取了受害者的个人信息，以实现对受害者的长期控制。他购买互联网账户并雇佣“网络喷子军”传播和推广有关受害者的淫秽视频、图片和侮辱性文章。
He also sent reports with false accusations to the victim's workplace in someone else's name, causing the victim to suffer PTSD.
In January, Zhang was taken into custody by public security organs and later was sentenced to six years in prison and fined 10,000 yuan ($1,400) for infringing on citizens' personal information, provocation, and intentional injury.
In another typical case, Zhejiang public security organs cracked down on defamation involving suspects surnamed Zhang and others. The suspects are charged with fabricating and spreading rumors such as "a female teacher at a certain middle school was molested by the school head." A large number of netizens followed their accounts spreading and promoting the rumors, seriously endangering social order.
In another case, Jiangsu public security organs investigated a suspect surnamed Ji, who is being charged with cyberbullying livestreamers by repeatedly fabricating defamatory information to gain followers.
In the other seven cases, local public security organs cracked down on cyberspace-related crimes such as picking quarrels and provoking trouble, insulting others, and illegal use of network information.
According to the Ministry of Public Security on Tuesday, both national and local cybersecurity departments will continue to advance the "Clean Network 2023" special operation, resolutely punishing illegal online violence and crime in accordance with the law.
China's Supreme People's Court, Supreme People's Procuratorate and Ministry of Public Security in September jointly released guidelines to severely punish cyberspace violations.
But some Chinese legal experts say that existing guidelines, regulations and laws are still not adequate to create a clean and healthy cyberspace.
As cyber violence has become a significant obstacle to the development of the internet today, it is necessary to enact special legislation to crack down on internet violence, said Zhu Wei, a vice director of the Communication Law Research Center at the China University of Political Science and Law.
他还以他人名义向受害者的工作场所发送了带有虚假指控的报告，导致受害者患上创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）。
在一月份，张某被公安机关拘留，并因侵犯公民个人信息、挑衅和故意伤害罪被判处六年有期徒刑，罚款1万元人民币（合1400美元）。
在另一起典型案例中，浙江省公安机关打击了一起涉及姓张等人的诽谤案。嫌疑人被指控制造和传播谣言，如“某中学女教师被校长猥亵”。大量网友追随他们的账户传播和推广这些谣言，严重危害社会秩序。
在另一案例中，江苏省公安机关调查了一名姓季的嫌疑人，他被指控通过反复捏造诽谤信息来对网络主播进行网络欺凌，以获取粉丝。
在其他七起案例中，地方公安机关打击了与网络空间相关的犯罪，如寻衅滋事、侮辱他人和非法使用网络信息。
根据公安部周二的消息，国家和地方的网络安全部门将继续推进“净网2023”专项行动，坚决依法惩治非法网络暴力和犯罪。
中国最高人民法院、最高人民检察院和公安部于九月份联合发布了严惩网络违法行为的指导意见。
但一些中国法律专家表示，现有的指导意见、法规和法律仍不足以打造一个干净、健康的网络空间。
由于网络暴力已成为今天互联网发展的重大障碍，有必要制定专门的法规来打击互联网暴力，中国政法大学传播法研究中心副主任朱伟表示。
Passing legislation to more strictly curb cyberbullying is not about restricting freedom of expression, but about protecting it. The purpose of governance is to ensure the trust and security of the internet, so that rational and humanistic care can return to the network environment, the expert told the Global Times.
If the cultural soil of cyberspace becomes a garbage dump filled with anger and polarized thinking, and even the red line of security and trust that should exist in normal human communication is lost, then talking about the digital economy and information technology innovation is just a castle in the sky, Zhu pointed out.
Specifically, in civil cases involving cyber violence, the top cases are reputation disputes, internet infringement liability disputes and personality rights disputes; among the criminal cases involving online violence, the top charges are defamation and insults, according to legal experts.
They revealed that some lawbreakers have used the internet to blackmail enterprises and endanger the country, seriously affecting normal life and business.
However, some legal experts said at present, the definition of cyber violence is still far from a relatively clear legal concept. When judicial practice has not accumulated enough experience and cases, the conditions for formulating special laws are still premature.
通过立法更严格地打击网络欺凌并不是要限制言论自由，而是要保护它。专家告诉《环球时报》说，治理的目的是确保互联网的信任和安全，以便理性和人文关怀能够回归网络环境。
如果网络空间的文化土壤变成一个充满愤怒和极端思维的垃圾场，甚至失去了在正常人际交往中应存在的安全和信任的底线，那么谈论数字经济和信息技术创新就是空中楼阁，朱伟指出。
具体而言，在涉及网络暴力的民事案件中，最多见的是声誉纠纷、互联网侵权责任纠纷和人格权纠纷；而在涉及在线暴力的刑事案件中，主要的指控是诽谤和侮辱，法律专家表示。
他们透露，一些违法分子利用互联网勒索企业，危害国家安全，严重影响正常的生活和业务。
然而，一些法律专家表示，目前，对网络暴力的定义仍然远未形成相对清晰的法律概念。在司法实践还没有积累足够的经验和案例时，制定专门法律的条件仍然为时尚早。
