Beijing court handles 4,600 online infringement cases involving seniors

The Beijing Internet Court said Friday that it has handled more than 4,600 online infringement cases involving people aged 60 and older since its establishment in September 2018, with more than 70 percent involving reputation rights.

In reputation-related disputes, some cases involve insulting or defamatory remarks posted on social media by strangers, infringing on older people's rights and interests. Others stem from traditional offline conflicts that spill over into cyberspace, with acquaintances or friends trading accusations and insults in group chats over trivial family or neighborhood matters, according to the court.

In one case, an older resident surnamed Yin and his cousin, surnamed Wei, became embroiled in a dispute after Wei accused Yin of failing to fulfill his obligation to support Wei's mother during her lifetime.

The two subsequently posted insulting and attacking remarks about each other in a WeChat group. Both sued, asking the court to order the other to stop the infringement, apologize and pay compensation for emotional distress.

The court ruled that both had infringed on the other's right to reputation and ordered them to apologize in writing and post their apology letters in the WeChat group.

The court emphasized that supporting older people is a traditional virtue in China. It said the two relatives had escalated their disagreement over the same elderly family member into mutual online insults and accusations, conduct that violates the law and undermines harmonious family relations.

Beyond explaining the law and issuing its ruling, the court urged both parties to behave responsibly and communicate rationally online — not only in family groups, but also in property management and homeowners' groups and when shopping online.

The court has also handled lawsuits involving artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies that infringe on older users' portrait and voice rights.

Yi Jun, vice-president of the court, told a news conference that internet technology has made infringement more difficult to detect and relevant electronic evidence more vulnerable to loss, creating challenges for older people seeking to protect their rights and interests.

He also said older people need to be more aware of the importance of collecting and preserving online evidence to support their efforts to defend their rights in the digital era.

"In handling the cases, we made clear that businesses using AI to synthesize elderly residents' voices for commercial purposes must bear liability," he said. "We also clarified that short-video publishers who re-edit or maliciously splice footage of elderly people, as well as those who impersonate senior citizens by registering accounts and infringing on their rights, will face legal responsibility."

Yi added that the court has also focused on protecting the rights and interests of deceased older people, saying the approach reflects the warmth of the judiciary and helps guide the public toward a healthier online environment.