TOUGHER ACTION URGED AGAINST ONLINE BULLYING

On the evening of Oct 28, Liu Hanbo, 46, a history teacher in Xinzheng city, Henan province, died after teaching a class online. Five days later, a post claiming that she had been the victim of online bullying during the class triggered widespread public attention.

The post, along with a video clip of the online session, was published by Liu's daughter on Sina Weibo, in which she said that internet users entered the online room and disturbed the class by playing noisy music and being rude while her mother livestreamed the lesson.

"I was informed after two days of my mom's death from a heart attack. She died alone at home, because my dad, younger sister and I were busy with studies and work outside the city," the daughter said in the post.

She also suggested more people take notice of online bullying, and asked for increased supervision from Dingding, Alibaba's remote office system — which her mother used — and other livestreaming platforms.

The post has been shared more than 200,000 times and the video clip viewed over 4.33 million times.

The authorities in Xinzheng have attached great importance to the incident. On Nov 2, the local education bureau expressed sadness about Liu's death, while police in the city confirmed that it was not a criminal case.

Responding to the claim made by Liu's daughter, the education bureau said the public security department has filed a case for investigation, while Dingding said it is working with police to probe the incident.

Even if it is found that online bullying was not a contributing factor to the death, the education bureau said, "The internet is not a lawless place, and relevant government agencies should harshly crack down on such behavior."

Frequent cases

In recent years, there have been frequent clashes in cyberspace, with many people using crude language or rumors to attack others on short-video, microblogging or livestreaming platforms due to a difference of opinion, or to vent their emotions. Such attacks have triggered anxiety among users.

With countless employees and students working and studying from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these incidents are now occurring during online classes and meetings.

The principal of a primary school in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, who declined to be named, said, "I once attended an educational seminar via video link, and noticed a few outsiders posting rude text messages to interfere with the session, but they were quickly removed from the online room by the organizer."

According to legal experts, posting vulgar videos or pictures, abusing or slandering teachers or students, and disturbing order in class by controlling computer screens constitute online bullying.

China Daily searched "online bullying" on Sina Weibo, finding more than 1,700 examples of such behavior — one of the victims being a female student who was targeted for picking at her hair.

Zheng Linghua, studying at a university in Zhejiang, was frequently insulted and slandered by netizens because she posted a photograph of herself showing her postgraduate enrollment certificate to her grandfather. The post has garnered 270 million views.

The student was dismayed that many internet users targeted her for picking at her hair in the photo, and said that she looked like a nightclub worker, a seductress, or even a monster. Some netizens even forwarded the photo, triggering rumors that it showed an elderly man married to a young woman.

Initially angered by these incidents, Zheng washed the pink dye from her hair, but after collecting hundreds of such comments, she considered taking legal action against the alleged attackers, according to a China Youth Daily report in July.

Suspected crimes

Zhao Zhanling, a lawyer from Beijing Yunjia Law Firm, encouraged more victims to protect their legitimate rights and launch litigation against online bullies, even though this is not easy.

He said behavior such as invading online classrooms, disturbing public order and slandering others constitutes suspected breaches of the law.

"Those using crude language to attack others, or intentionally leaking others' personal information, for example, will be sued for reputation or privacy infringement. People who disturb social order, such as interrupting online classes, will be punished by police with fines or administrative detention," Zhao said.

"If the behavior is serious enough, they may even face a prison term under the Criminal Law."

As it is difficult to collect evidence to prove online slander and insults, the revised Criminal Law stipulates that courts can require public security departments to provide aid for those experiencing online bullying to gather evidence if they initiate civil lawsuits.

Weak security

Wang Sixin, a law professor at Communication University of China, who also experienced online bullying, said, "I was furious sometimes, but after calming down, I ignored or blocked the attackers."

He said online classrooms with weak security systems were hacked by those playing tricks or showing off their technical expertise. Other classrooms were attacked after students unhappy with their teachers, classmates or schools released the online room numbers and passwords to others for fun or to vent their dissatisfaction.

"What's worse is that some people profit from helping incite online bullying," Wang said. "More attention must be paid to this, and a stronger crackdown is needed."

According to South Reviews, a news outlet based in Guangdong province, more than 70 percent of online attackers are born after 2000 — many of them males. If they successfully enter online classes to interrupt teachers, attackers sometimes ask them for money, the outlet added.

South Reviews spoke to a middle school student who said he could earn about 100 yuan ($13) from breaking into online classrooms five times a day.

China Youth Daily reported that the eldest member of a group of 100 online attackers is 22.

Although some attacks are carried out by teenagers for fun or to play tricks, Luo Xiang, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law, said such behavior should not be tolerated. Children's parents or guardians must be responsible for them, and education about such incidents should be strengthened, Luo added.

He said those who lure or take advantage of juveniles to slander or abuse other internet users may also be held criminally liable.

Action on way

Soon after the death of Liu, the teacher in Henan, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the nation's top internet regulator, issued a notice requiring online platforms to establish and improve a long-term work mechanism to prevent online bullying and to increase the punishment for perpetrators.

The administration also ordered internet platforms to set up early-warning systems and enhance their ability to spot online bullying and respond more quickly to reports of such incidents from users.

According to the notice, online platforms should prohibit strangers from sharing posts, and refuse comments from unknown users if bullying is suspected.

It said livestreaming and short-video platforms are major targets for inspection, adding that those holding accounts where there is improper behavior will be banned from posting, or the accounts will even be shut down.

In April, the administration launched a similar campaign against online bullying on 18 online platforms, including Sina Weibo and short-video sharing giant Douyin.

Data from Sina Weibo show that in August it punished more than 18,000 accounts where online bullying was reported from April 24 to July 31, removing over 19.31 million harmful posts, such as those involving discrimination, or which triggered public concern.

To step up prevention of online bullying, Sina Weibo users can refuse messages from strangers for seven consecutive days and prohibit comments, sharing or account following from strangers.

The principal from Hangzhou said her primary school has trained teachers to use remote online systems in classes since early 2020, when the pandemic emerged.

"To guarantee the security of online classes, attempts by non-students to enter these classrooms must be permitted by teachers," she said. "If they find that strangers or students have disturbed order in class, teachers have been told to press a button to mute them.

"Keeping classes safe and orderly, whether they are online or offline, must always be the top priority," she said, calling for the authorities to further regulate the online environment and cultivate digital skills among those in the education sector.

More suggestions

In March, Li Dongsheng, a national lawmaker and founder of consumer electronics provider TCL, suggested that China make greater efforts to target online bullying through legislation.

He told Legal Daily the cost of insulting, slandering or spreading rumors in cyberspace is small, but the harm this does to victims is big.

Li said content regarding online bullying can be found in various legal documents, including the Civil Code, the Criminal Law and the Cybersecurity Law, "but isn't strong, nor effective when applied". Li added that this is why he submitted a proposal to the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, to solve the problem by introducing a special law.

Li Zongsheng, another national lawmaker and a lawyer from Liaoning province, said those who frequently attack others by using crude language or posting vulgar pictures can be limited from accessing online platforms for a certain time as punishment.

"Furthermore, initiating public-interest litigation on cybersecurity or data security may also be a better way for those experiencing online bullying to protect their legitimate rights and keep themselves from harm," he said.

"Put simply, the crackdown against online bullying should be developed in a comprehensive and scientific fashion, and it needs everyone, including individuals, internet operators, government agencies and social organizations, to play their part," he said.

While highlighting the significance of combating those who incite online bullying, he suggested every internet user should enhance their legal awareness and surf cyberspace in a civilized manner.

"We may also become victims at times, so regulating our behavior protects both ourselves and others," he added.