China issues regulation on online news service

Cooperation between Chinese online news service providers and entities with foreign investment should go through a security review, according to a regulation released Tuesday.

The regulation, issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), requires the online news service providers to abide by the law, promote healthy Internet culture and safeguard national and public interest.

The CAC will become the new regulator of online news service, replacing the State Council Information Office.

The service providers should put in place a set of information security protocols and measures, such as reviews, checks and emergency responses regarding online news, the CAC said.

There should be an editor-in-chief for all online news service providers and their staff should be qualified, according to the regulation.

It said that platform operators should protect the privacy of users.

The regulation particularly notes the obligations of online news platform operators, whose services would only be available to users who register with their real identities.

Online news platform operators that violate the regulation will be punished.

In the meantime, another regulation on administrative law-enforcing procedures was also issued by CAC Tuesday, aiming to standardize and safeguard the obligations of online news management departments, so as to properly implement administrative penalties and protect the legal rights of citizens, legal persons and other organizations.

The two regulations will go into force on June 1.