China, A Mammoth Report on the Internet Announces Increased Surveillance

Tan Liwei

(ZENIT News – Bitter Winter / Rome, 06.27.2025).- The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has published its first-ever annual report on the “Internet Rule of Law Development”. This 278-page document emphasizes the enhanced digital control measures anticipated for 2025. The report marks 2025 as the concluding year of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan and details the legal frameworks to establish “rule of law” within cyberspace.

The report highlights that since China gained full Internet access in 1994, it has enacted more than 150 laws and regulations concerning cyberspace governance. Among these are the Cybersecurity Law, the Data Security Law, and the Personal Information Protection Law. In 2024, multiple new regulations were introduced to tighten oversight on live streaming, online payments, and digital recruitment platforms.

The report says a notable development was the establishment of interim regulations in May 2024 aimed at curbing monopolistic behaviors and algorithmic manipulation by major tech companies. These regulations sought to enhance state oversight of essential Internet entities.

The report emphasizes that the CAC has stepped up its enforcement measures against “illegal online behavior.” In the last year, over forty “special operations” were initiated, leading to the removal of more than twenty million instances of “illegal or harmful content,” encompassing a range of dissenting views, including reports on non-sanctioned religious activities.

Online platforms have been pushed to take responsibility for content moderation. While this includes protecting children and intellectual property, it also aims to curb dissent.

The CAC laments the “increasing diversity of opinions and groups” online and views diversity as an issue to be controlled; this serves as a rationale for broadening its operations. Additionally, the report notes that advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), such as DeepSeek’s growing influence, necessitate attentive management and oversight.

The CAC has initiated national campaigns for “legal education” to enhance public understanding of cyber laws. These efforts seek to inform internet users that sharing prohibited content could lead to jail sentences.

The document further supports a “multilateral approach to global internet governance.” This represents an old Chinese complaint advocating for China’s “cyber sovereignty,” while simultaneously requesting a role in international Internet control as a superpower.

The CAC’s 2025 report outlines a cyberspace governance vision deeply influenced by China’s public security strategy for the Internet, promising enhanced surveillance and regulation.

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