Beijing court's suggestions help internet platforms improve supervision, regulate behavior

A Beijing court has helped strengthen the supervision of internet platforms and the regulation of online behavior by sending judicial suggestions during its case handling over the past five years, in a bid to meet the new demands of netizens and improve cyberspace governance.

Since Sept 9, 2018, when the Beijing Internet Court was established, it has sent 23 judicial suggestions to online platforms, internet associations and government agencies after making rulings, recommending that they further regulate their behavior and ensure their healthy development while implementing the verdicts.

"These suggestions mainly covered the supervision loopholes of internet platforms, juvenile protection in cyberspace and the application of new technologies," Zhao Ruigang, vice-president of the court, told a news conference.

He said that by providing the advice, Chinese courts are striving to respond to public concerns and solve people's problems by rule of law, adding that "high-quality suggestions will not only promote industrial growth, but also prevent unnecessary disputes".

For example, the court suggested that a technology company intensify its real-identity registration and management after resolving an online service contract dispute between it and a child.

"We made the suggestion because we found that the child had topped up multiple times on an online platform operated by the company and bought comics that weren't suitable for juveniles to read," said Li Wenchao, an official from the court's Trial Management Office.

Discovering the major loophole of the platform's management, "we suggested that it optimize its real-name registration system and strengthen reviews on its uploaded content to give stronger protection for minors," he said.

The company accepted the advice, replying that it adjusted its online content and removed information against juvenile's mental health, he added.