颁布日期：20001106 　实施日期：20001106 　颁布单位：信息产业部

　　Article 1　These Provisions have been formulated¹ in accordance with the Administration of Internet Information Services Procedures, in order to strengthen the administration of internet electronic messaging services ("Electronic Messaging Services"), to regulate the publishing of information in the form of electronic messages, to safeguard national security and social stability and to protect the lawful² rights and interests of citizens, legal persons and other organizations.

　　Article 2　The provision of Electronic Messaging Services, and the use of electronic messaging to publish information, in the People's Republic of China shall be governed by these Provisions. For the purposes of these Provisions, the term "Electronic Messaging Services" means acts enabling online subscribers to publish information on the internet in an interactive⁴ form, such as bulletin boards, whiteboards, discussion forums⁵, chat rooms and message boards.

　　Article 3　In carrying out service activities, providers of Electronic Messaging Services shall abide⁶ by laws and regulations, strengthen the industry's self-regulation and accept lawful supervision⁷ and inspection⁸ by the Ministry⁹ of Information Industry, the telecommunications administration authorities of the provinces, autonomous¹⁰ regions and municipalities directly under the central government and other relevant authorities.

　　Article 4　In using Electronic Messaging Service systems, online subscribers shall abide by laws and regulations and be responsible for the information they publish.

　　Article 5　Anyone engaged in the provision of internet information services that wishes to launch Electronic Messaging Services shall submit a dedicated¹¹ application or carry out dedicated record-filing procedures therefor when filing an application for permission to provide commercial internet information services, or when carrying out record-filing procedures for non-commercial internet information services, with the telecommunications administration authority of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government or with the Ministry of Information Industry.

　　If the telecommunications administration authority of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government or the Ministry of Information Industry finds the applicant¹² to satisfy the conditions, it shall approve or record both the provision of internet information services and the provision of Electronic Messaging Services and make a special note thereof on the operating permit or the record-filing document, within the prescribed time limit. If it finds that the applicant does not satisfy the conditions, it shall deny approval or record-filing and notify the applicant in writing, explaining its reason for the rejection¹³.

　　Article 6　In addition to meeting the conditions in the Administration of Internet Information Services Procedures, the following conditions shall be met in order to launch Electronic Messaging Services:

　　1. offering definite types of Electronic Messaging Service and having definite columns therefor;

　　2. having comprehensive rules for Electronic Messaging Services;

　　3. having adopted measures to ensure the security of the Electronic Messaging Services, including an online subscriber³ login program, an administration system for the security of online subscriber information and technical protection facilities; and

　　4. having appropriate professional administrative¹⁴ personnel and technical personnel who can effectively administer the Electronic Messaging Services.

　　Article 7　If an internet information service provider that has already obtained an operating permit or carried out record-filing procedures intends to launch Electronic Messaging Services, it shall file a dedicated application or carry out dedicated record-filing procedures therefor with the original authority that granted the permit or the record-filing.

　　The telecommunications administration authority of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government or the Ministry of Information shall complete its examination within 60 days of the date of receipt of the dedicated application or the dedicated record-filing materials. If it finds the applicant to satisfy the conditions, it shall grant approval or record-filing and make a special note thereof on the operating permit or the record-filing document. If it finds that the applicant does not satisfy the conditions, it shall deny approval or record-filing and notify the applicant in writing, explaining its reason for the rejection.

　　Article 8　No work unit or individual may engage in Electronic Messaging Services without having obtained dedicated approval or carried out dedicated approval procedures.

　　Article 9　No one may publish information in an Electronic Messaging Service system with content that:

　　1. opposes the fundamental principles determined¹⁵ in the Constitution;

　　2. compromises State security, discloses State secrets, subverts¹⁶ State power or damages national unity¹⁷;

　　3. harms the reputation or interests of the State;

　　4. incites¹⁸ ethnic¹⁹ hatred²⁰ or racial discrimination or damages inter-ethnic unity;

　　5. undermines State religious policy or propagates heretical teachings or feudal²¹ superstitions²²;

　　6. disseminates²³ rumours²⁴, disturbs social order or disrupts social stability;

　　7. propagates obscenity, pornography, gambling²⁵, violence, murder or fear or incites the commission of crimes;

　　8. insults or slanders²⁶ a third party or infringes²⁷ upon the lawful rights and interests of a third party; or

　　9. includes other content prohibited by laws or administrative regulations.

　　Article 10　Electronic Messaging Service providers shall post their operating permit numbers or record-filing numbers and their Electronic Messaging Service rules in a prominent place on their Electronic Messaging Service systems and remind the online subscribers of the legal liability they must bear for the publication of information.

　　Article 11　Electronic Messaging Service providers shall provide their services in accordance with the approved or recorded service types and columns. They may not provide types of service or set up columns beyond those approved or recorded.

　　Article 12　Electronic Messaging Service providers shall maintain the confidentiality²⁸ of the personal information concerning the online subscribers and may not disclose the same to third parties without the subscribers' consent, unless the law provides otherwise.

　　Article 13　If an Electronic Messaging Service provider discovers information in its Electronic Messaging Service system that clearly falls within the scope of content specified²⁹ in Article 9 hereof, it shall immediately delete the same, save the relevant records and make a report thereon to the relevant State authority.

　　Article 14　Electronic Messaging Service providers shall keep records of the content, time of publication and internet address or domain³⁰ name of the information published in their Electronic Messaging Service systems. They shall keep copies of such records for 60 days and shall provide them to the relevant State authorities when the latter make inquiries³¹ in accordance with the law.

　　Article 15　Internet access service providers shall keep records of information such as the time online subscribers are online, the subscribers' account numbers, the URLs or domain names, the callers' telephone numbers, etc. They shall keep copies of such records for 60 days and shall provide them to the relevant State authorities when the latter make inquiries in accordance with the law.

　　Article 16　Anyone that violates Article 8 or 11 hereof by engaging in the provision of Electronic Messaging Services without authorization³² or by providing types of service or setting up columns beyond those approved or recorded shall be punished in accordance with Article 19 of the Administration of Internet Information Services Procedures.

　　Article 17　Anyone that publishes information in an Electronic Messaging Service system which falls within the scope of content specified in Article 9 hereof shall be punished in accordance with Article 20 of the Administration of Internet Information Services Procedures.

　　Article 18　Anyone that violates Article 10 hereof by failing to post its operating permit number or record-filing number, or by failing to post its Electronic Messaging Service rules or by failing to remind the online subscribers of the legal liability they must bear for the publication of information shall be punished in accordance with Article 22 of the Administration of Internet Information Services Procedures.

　　Article 19　If anyone violates Article 12 hereof by unlawfully disclosing an online subscriber's personal information to a third party without the subscriber's consent, the telecommunications administration authority of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government shall order rectification³³. If the disclosure causes the online subscriber to suffer harm or loss, the Electronic Messaging Service provider shall assume legal liability according to law.

　　Article 20　Anyone that fails to perform the obligations specified in Article 13, 14 or 15 hereof shall be punished in accordance with Article 21 or 23 of the Administration of Internet Information Services Procedures.

　　Article 21　Anyone that commenced to engage in the provision of Electronic Messaging Services before the promulgation³⁴ hereof shall file a dedicated application or carry out dedicated record-filing procedures in accordance herewith within 60 days of the date of implementation³⁵ hereof.

　　Article 22　These Provisions shall be implemented³⁶ as of the date of promulgation.