HEFEI: For China’s vast number of internet users, especially the underage ones, the ongoing 2022 China Cybersecurity Week is a unique event where they can learn about new technologies and boost their awareness of cybersecurity. The annual event, which kicked off Monday in Hefei, capital of east China’s Anhui Province and runs until Sept. 11, consists of both online and offline activities held across the country.
As of June, China’s netizens grew to approximately 1.05 billion, with the ratio of internet access coverage nationwide reaching 74.4 percent, according to a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). China’s underage internet users topped 183 million by 2020, according to a 2021 report jointly issued by the CNNIC and the Chinese Communist Youth League Central Committee. Various sectors of society, including the government, schools, and enterprises, are making joint efforts to strengthen cybersecurity for the public, particularly digital natives who are being brought up during the age of digital technology.
Over the past few years, a series of laws and regulations have been passed to provide strong legal support in combating online and telecom fraud in China.
The cybersecurity law, which took effect in 2017, served as a cornerstone in regulating cyberspace in accordance with the law. The law includes provisions that protect personal information, crack down on online fraud, and protect key information infrastructures.
Between April 2021 and July 2022, authorities cracked about 594,000 telecom and online fraud cases nationwide, blocked 4 million suspicious websites and intercepted 2.81 billion scam phone calls, according to China’s Ministry of Public Security. –Agencies
