China’s MPS handles over 36,000 cyber-related cases so far this year during 'Clean Net' campaign
A prosecutor from the Hongze district people’s procuratorate in Huai'an, East China's Jiangsu Province, teaches local primary school students about online safety and cybersecurity on September 16, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) have handled more than 36,000 cases involving cyber-related illegal and criminal activities so far this year as part of its “Clean Net 2026” campaign, the ministry announced on Thursday, while also disclosing 10 typical cases involving cyberbullying and staging and fabricating content.
According to a statement released by the MPS, in response to the frequent spread of online rumors involving accidents and disasters, as well as economic and livelihood issues, through fabricated facts, manipulated content and AI-generated material, the cybersecurity authorities within public security organs have conducted rapid investigations and taken swift action, solving more than 11,000 related cases so far this year, while promptly conducting rumor-debunking campaigns and responding to public concerns.
Among the 10 typical cases released by the MPS was a case involving a suspect surnamed Qin who cyberbullied a village official engaged in flood-control and disaster-relief efforts. During severe flooding in Shimen county, Changde, Central China’s Hunan Province in May, a village Party branch secretary who had worked on the front line drew widespread empathy and attention for her disaster-relief effort during a media interview. Some netizens later criticized her for wearing jewelry during interview, posted disparaging comments, and subjected her to further cyberbullying. Police in multiple places including Hunan, Inner Mongolia and Hebei cracked down on 15 related cyberbullying cases and imposed administrative penalties on offenders involved.
The cybersecurity authorities have also cracked more than 4,100 cases involving theft, sale and illegal disclosure of citizens’ personal information, including through “doxxing” and unauthorized record searches, in response to the prevalence of such illegal and criminal activities.
Besides, the authorities have so far handled more than 3,900 hacking cases that threaten social and public order, market and tax security, system and data security, ecological and environmental security, as well as production and transportation safety against the background of continuous evolution of hacking techniques, increasing sophistication of criminal tools and lowering barriers to entry for cybercrime
The authorities have been targeting MCN agencies and online paid posters behind rumors while strengthening industry oversight, platform algorithm governance and monitoring of AI-generated content to curb the spread of online rumors.
The authorities have also launched a strict crackdown on illegal and criminal activities including rumor-mongering, public-opinion extortion, traffic manipulation and paid post deletions, with more than 190 related cases solved so far.
In response to the serious infringement of citizens’ lawful rights and interests, the authorities have launched a comprehensive crackdown on offenses including doxxing and targeted harassment, insult and defamation, and “bombarding” victims with large volumes of phone calls and text messages, solving more than 2,500 related cases so far.
Authorities have also solved more than 40 cases involving counterfeit official websites and apps used for fake authentication, document forgery, online fraud and personal-data theft, and shut down more than 250 such websites. They have also investigated more than 150 cases involving the use of websites, social media and other platforms to promote and drive traffic to crimes such as gambling, prostitution and fraud, the MPS said.