NOTE: This translation was originally published on the China Copyright and Media blog, a project of DigiChina’s Prof. Rogier Creemers of the University of Leiden. It has not been edited, double-checked, or standardized with DigiChina’s original content. Read more.
Chapter I: General Principles
Article 1: Obeying the basic principle of “vigorous development, strengthening management, search profit and avoid harm, and being useful to us”, and in order to establish our country’s Internet sector self-discipline mechanism, standardize the activities of practitioners in the sector, stimulate and guarantee the Internet sector’s healthy development according to the law, this Convention is formulated.
Article 2: Internet sector as named in this Convention is the general name referring to the sector engaging in Internet operation service, application service, information service, network product and network information resource exploitation and production, as well as other research, education, service and other activities.
Article 3: The basic principles of the Internet sector are patriotism, compliance with the law, fairness and honesty.
Article 4: Practitioners in the entire sector are proposed to accede to this Convention, and, starting from the height of safeguarding the comprehensive interest of the State and the entire sector, to vigorously move sector self-discipline forward, to create a desirable environment for sector development.
Article 5: The China Internet Association is the implementing organ for this Convention, and are responsible for the organization of implementation this Convention.
Chapter II: Self-discipline clauses
Article 6: Consciously abide by State laws, regulations and policies concerning Internet development and management, forcefully carry forward the excellent cultural traditions of the Chinese nation and the moral standards of the Socialist spiritual civilization, vigorously promote the construction of professional ethics in the Internet sector.
Article 7: Encourage and support the development of lawful, fair and orderly sector competition, oppose the adoption of improper means to conduct intra-sector competition.
Article 8: Consciously safeguard the lawful rights and interests of consumers. Preserve users’ information and secrets; do not use information provided by users to engage in any activity that has no relationship with the commitments made to users, do not use technological or other superiority to infringe the lawful interests of consumers or users.
Article 9: Internet information services should consciously abide by State regulations concerning Internet information service management, and consciously implement their self-discipline duties concerning Internet information services:
(1) do not produce, distribute or disseminate information harming national security, harming social stability, violating laws or regulations as well as superstition, obscenity and other harmful information, conduct supervision over users disseminating information on websites, timely delete harmful information;
(3) when producing, distributing or disseminating network information, laws and regulations related to the protection of intellectual property rights must be observed;
(4) guide the broad users towards using the network in a civilized manner, strengthen network ethical mentalities, consciously resist the dissemination of harmful information.
Article 10: Internet access service providers should conduct examination of and supervision over information on websites inside and outside of their access boundaries, refuse to provide access to websites disseminating harmful information, and eliminate the negative influence of harmful information on our country’s network users
Article 11: Internet surfing venue operators must adopt effective measures to create a healthy and civilized surfing environment, and guide surfing persons and especially the youth to surf healthily.
Article 12: Internet information network product producers must respect the intellectual property rights of other persons, and oppose the production of products containing harmful information or which infringe other persons’ intellectual property rights.
Article 13: Practitioners in the entire sector are to jointly be on guard against the dissemination of malicious computer code or destructive software on the Internet, oppose the production and dissemination of computer software that has malicious attack capacities against computer networks and other persons’ computer information systems, oppose illegal access or destruction of other persons’ computer information systems.
Article 14: Strengthen communication and cooperation, research and explore development strategies for our country’s Internet sector, put forward policy and legislation suggestions for our country’s Internet sector construction, development and management.
Article 15: Support the adoption of all kinds of effective methods, launch cooperation in Internet sector research, production, services and other spheres, jointly create good sector development environments.
Article 16: Encourage enterprises, research and education organs, other work units and individuals to forcefully exploit computer software, hardware and all sorts of network products, etc., having indigenous intellectual property rights, providing powerful support for further development of our Internet sector.
Article 17: Vigorously participate in international cooperation and exchange, participate in the formulation of international sector standards, and consciously abide by the international norms signed by our country.
Article 18: Consciously accept supervision and criticism of the sector from all walks of society, jointly resist and rectify harmful trends in the sector.
Chapter III: The implementation of the Convention
Article 19: The China Internet Association is responsible for the organization of the implementation of this Convention, is responsible for transmitting Internet sector management regulations, policies and sector self-discipline information to the member work units, for timely reflecting the wishes or requirements of member work units to government controlling departments, for safeguarding the proper rights and interests of member work units, for organizing and implementing Internet sector self-discipline, and for conducting supervision and inspection of the situation of member work units’ compliance with this Convention.
Article 20: The member work units of this Convention should fully abide by and consciously implement all self-discipline principles of this Convention.
Article 21: When disputes arise between Convention members, all sides in the dispute should, in line with the principle of mutual understanding and mutual accommodation, strive to solve the dispute through consultations, and are also permitted to request the Convention implementation organ to conduct mediation, consciously safeguard sector unity and safeguard the overall interests of the sector.
Article 22: Where member work units of this Convention violate this Convention, any other member work unit is empowered to timely report this to the implementing organ of the Convention, and require the implementing organ of the Convention to conduct an investigation; the implementing organ of the Convention may also directly conduct investigations, and will publish the results of the investigation to the whole body of member work units.
Article 23: Where member work units of this Convention violate this Convention, creating harmful influences, and this is verified, the implementing organ of the Convention will impose the punishments of internal reporting among the member work units or cancelling Convention membership qualifications in consideration of the different circumstances.
Article 24: All member work units of this Convention are empowered to conduct supervision over the legality and fairness of the way the Convention implementation organ implements this Convention, and are empowered to report acts violating this Convention of the Convention implementing organ or other work personnel to the controlling department of the implementing organ.
Article 25: The implementing organ of this Convention and the member work units must abide by relevant State laws and regulations in the process of implementing this Convention.
Chapter IV: Supplementary provisions
Article 26: This Convention takes becomes valid after signature of the legal representative of the sponsoring work unit or their entrusted representative, and will be published by the China Internet Association to society 30 days after becoming valid.
Article 27: During the period of validity of this Convention, where the implementing organ of the Convention and more than ten per cent of the member units of this Convention make a proposal, and more than two thirds of the member work units agree, it is permitted to revise this Convention.
Article 28: Our country’s Internet sector practitioners accepting the self-discipline norms of this Convention, may all apply to accede to this Convention; member work units of this Convention may also withdraw from this Convention, and notify the implementing organ of the Convention; the implementing organ of the Convention will regularly publish a list of work units who have acceded to or withdrawn from this Convention.
Article 29: The member work units of this Convention may initiate the formulation of self-discipline agreements for branch sectors under this Convention, and after agreement by the member work units of this Convention, these may be added as annexes to this Convention, promulgated and implemented.
Article 30: The interpretation of this Convention is the responsibility of the China Internet Association.
Article 31: This Convention takes effect on the date of promulgation
中国互联网行业自律公约
第一章 总则第一条 遵照“积极发展、加强管理、趋利避害、为我所用”的基本方针，为建立我国互联网行业自律机制，规范行业从业者行为，依法促进和保障互联网行业健康发展，制定本公约。第二条 本公约所称互联网行业是指从事互联网运行服务、应用服务、信息服务、网络产品和网络信息资源的开发、生产以及其他与互联网有关的科研、教育、服务等活动的行业的总称。第三条 互联网行业自律的基本原则是爱国、守法、公平、诚信。第四条 倡议全行业从业者加入本公约，从维护国家和全行业整体利益的高度出发，积极推进行业自律，创造良好的行业发展环境。第五条 中国互联网协会作为本公约的执行机构，负责组织实施本公约。第二章 自律条款第六条 自觉遵守国家有关互联网发展和管理的法律、法规和政策，大力弘扬中华民族优秀文化传统和社会主义精神文明的道德准则，积极推动互联网行业的职业道德建设。第七条 鼓励、支持开展合法、公平、有序的行业竞争，反对采用不正当手段进行行业内竞争。第八条 自觉维护消费者的合法权益。保守用户信息秘密；不利用用户提供的信息从事任何与向用户作出的承诺无关的活动，不利用技术或其他优势侵犯消费者或用户的合法权益。第九条 互联网信息服务者应自觉遵守国家有关互联网信息服务管理的规定，自觉履行互联网信息服务的自律义务：（一） 不制作、发布或传播危害国家安全、危害社会稳定、违反法律法规以及迷信、淫秽等有害信息，依法对用户在本网站上发布的信息进行监督，及时清除有害信息；（二） 不链接含有有害信息的网站，确保网络信息内容的合法、健康；（三） 制作、发布或传播网络信息，要遵守有关保护知识产权的法律、法规；（四） 引导广大用户文明使用网络，增强网络道德意识，自觉抵制有害信息的传播。第十条 互联网接入服务提供者应对接入的境内外网站信息进行检查监督，拒绝接入发布有害信息的网站，消除有害信息对我国网络用户的不良影响。第十一条 互联网上网场所经营者要采取有效措施，营造健康文明的上网环境，引导上网人员特别是青少年健康上网。第十二条 互联网信息网络产品制作者要尊重他人的知识产权，反对制作含有有害信息和侵犯他人知识产权的产品。第十三条 全行业从业者共同防范计算机恶意代码或破坏性程序在互联网上的传播，反对制作和传播对计算机网络及他人计算机信息系统具有恶意攻击能力的计算机程序，反对非法侵入或破坏他人计算机信息系统。第十四条 加强沟通协作，研究、探讨我国互联网行业发展战略，对我国互联网行业的建设、发展和管理提出政策和立法建议。第十五条 支持采取各种有效方式，开展互联网行业科研、生产及服务等领域的协作，共同创造良好的行业发展环境。第十六条 鼓励企业、科研、教育机构等单位和个人大力开发具有自主知识产权的计算机软件、硬件和各类网络产品等，为我互联网行业的进一步发展提供有力支持。第十七条 积极参与国际合作和交流，参与同行业国际规则的制定，自觉遵守我国签署的国际规则。第十八条 自觉接受社会各界对本行业的监督和批评，共同抵制和纠正行业不正之风。第三章 公约的执行第十九条 中国互联网协会负责组织实施本公约，负责向公约成员单位传递互联网行业管理的法规、政策及行业自律信息，及时向政府主管部门反映成员单位的意愿和要求，维护成员单位的正当利益，组织实施互联网行业自律，并对成员单位遵守本公约的情况进行督促检查。第二十条 本公约成员单位应充分尊重并自觉履行本公约的各项自律原则。第二十一条 公约成员之间发生争议时，争议各方应本着互谅互让的原则争取以协商的方式解决争议，也可以请求公约执行机构进行调解，自觉维护行业团结，维护行业整体利益。第二十二条 本公约成员单位违反本公约的，任何其他成员单位均有权及时向公约执行机构进行检举，要求公约执行机构进行调查；公约执行机构也可以直接进行调查，并将调查结果向全体成员单位公布。第二十三条 公约成员单位违反本公约，造成不良影响，经查证属实的，由公约执行机构视不同情况给予在公约成员单位内部通报或取消公约成员资格的处理。第二十四条 本公约所有成员单位均有权对公约执行机构执行本公约的合法性和公正性进行监督，有权向执行机构的主管部门检举公约执行机构或其他工作人员违反本公约的行为。第二十五条 本公约执行机构及成员单位在实施和履行本公约过程中必须遵守国家有关法律、法规。第四章 附则第二十六条 本公约经公约发起单位法定代表人或其委托的代表签字后生效，并在生效后的30日内由中国互联网协会向社会公布。第二十七条 本公约生效期间，经公约执行机构或本公约十分之一以上成员单位提议，并经三分之二以上成员单位同意，可以对本公约进行修改。第二十八条 我国互联网行业从业者接受本公约的自律规则，均可以申请加入本公约；本公约成员单位也可以退出本公约，并通知公约执行机构；公约执行机构定期公布加入及退出本公约的单位名单。第二十九条 本公约成员单位可以在本公约之下发起制订各分支行业的自律协议，经公约成员单位同意后，作为本公约的附件公布实施。第三十条 本公约由中国互联网协会负责解释。第三十一条 本公约自公布之日起施行。
