Internet frauds and other online risks fall

Internet security problems, including online frauds, fell in the past three years, thanks to China’s efforts to safeguard the cybersecurity and netizens’ increasing awareness, a report of the nation’s top cyberspace regulator said on Thursday.

The China’s Internet Network Information Center’s report showed that about 50 percent of internet users said they did not face security attacks, such as being cheated or attacked by computer virus, over the past six months.

Online frauds, the biggest problem previously, also declined in 2018, according to Zeng Yu, head of the center.

“It is the third year that the online frauds have fallen,” he said, adding that credit goes to the country’s greater efforts against the cybersecurity risks in the past few years.

Introducing the report, he said cases of computer viruses and Trojans also reduced in 2018, adding the online environment was becoming cleaner.

The center as the country’s authorized institute on the internet studies issues report on the internet development every six months. According to the latest report, the number of Chinese internet users reached 829 million by the end of last year, up 7.3 percent from the previous year. Among them, 817 million surfed the internet via mobile phones.

It said mobile phone applications of instant messaging, news media and videos were frequently used by the netizens, adding the time that Chinese netizens spent online in 2018 also went up, reaching 27.6 hours every week.

Besides, the number of the netizens who dealt with government-related affairs, including searching information about traffic violations and submitting applications, also increased in 2018, the report said.