2014年8月7日，国家互联网信息办公室发布了《即时通信工具公众信息服务发展管理暂行规定》（以下简称“《暂行规定》”），自发布之日起实施。《暂行规定》共十条，对即时通信工具服务提供者、使用者以及通过即时通信工具进行公众信息服务活动进行了规范。
On 7 August 2014, the State Internet Information Office (“SIIO”), the central administration authority on internet content in the PRC, issued the Provisional Regulation on Administration of Development of Instant Messaging Public Information Services (“Provisional Regulation”), which was effective upon issuance. The Provisional Regulation, consisting of 10 articles, aims to supervise the activities of providers and users of instant massaging (“IM”) services as well as the offering of public information services via IM.
This bulletin summarizes the key requirements and implications of the Provisional Regulation.
一、《暂行规定》主要内容
I Key Requirements of Provisional Regulation
- 即时通信工具提供者进行公众信息服务的资质
- License requirement for IM providers to offer public information services
《暂行规定》规定，即时通信工具服务提供者从事公众信息服务活动[1]，应当取得互联网新闻信息服务资质。
IM providers that intend to offer “public information services”, which refers to posting or providing public information via public IM accounts or other means, must obtain Internet News Information Services Licenses (“Internet News Licenses”). - 即时通信工具使用者的“实名制”要求
- True-name registration required for IM users
《暂行规定》要求，即时通信工具服务提供者应按照“后台实名、前台自愿”的原则，要求即时通信工具服务使用者通过真实身份信息认证后注册账号。
IM service providers must require each user to provide his or her true identity as well as proof of identification for authentication purposes, before registering the user’s IM account. This requirement is based on the principle of "true name for registration and any name for public purposes". - 公众账号的开设
- Requirements for opening public accounts
根据《暂行规定》，即时通信工具服务使用者为从事公众信息服务活动开设公众账号，应当经即时通信工具服务提供者审核，由即时通信工具服务提供者向互联网信息内容主管部门分类备案。
IM providers shall review any request by IM users to open pubic accounts for the purpose of providing public information services. IM providers should file information relating to such public accounts with the appropriate local office of the SIIO. - 时政类新闻的发布、转载
- Posting and reposting of political news
《暂行规定》规定，新闻单位、新闻网站开设的公众账号可以发布、转载时政类新闻，取得互联网新闻信息服务资质的非新闻单位开设的公众账号可以转载时政类新闻，其他公众账号未经批准不得发布、转载时政类新闻。对于可发布、转载时政类新闻的公众账号，《暂行规定》要求即时通信工具服务提供者加注标识。
News agencies and news websites operated by news agencies may post or repost news on current affairs and politics using their public accounts. In addition, non-news entities (i.e., entities that are not news agencies or news websites operated by news agencies) that have obtained Internet News Licenses may repost news on current affairs and politics via their public accounts. Users holding other public accounts may not post or repost news on current affairs and politics without prior approval. In addition, IM providers shall affix identification marks on those public accounts that are allowed to post or repost news. - 管理措施
- Administrative measures
《暂行规定》规定，即时通信工具服务提供者对违反《暂行规定》的即时通信工具使用者，可视情节采取警示、限制发布、暂停更新直至关闭账号等措施，并向有关部门报告。
IM providers have the authority to impose administrative measures on IM users who violate the Provisional Regulation; such measures may include issuing a warning, restricting posting, disabling updates and even closing the users’ accounts, as appropriate according to the circumstances. The Provisional Regulation requires IM providers to report such violations to the relevant authority.
二、简评
II Implications of Provisional Regulation
《暂行规定》的出台明确了对即时通信工具相关的内容监管：
The Provisional Regulation spells out the requirements for supervising IM content. - 《暂行规定》首次在即时通信工具领域规定了“实名制”的要求，今后用户新注册即时通信工具账号有可能需要提供真实身份信息。从《暂行规定》的内容推测，其主要针对微信等具有公共信息服务功能的移动即时通信工具，但鉴于“实名制”的要求并未明确做此限定，《暂行规定》同样有可能适用于QQ、MSN、Skype等传统计算机即时通信工具；
- For the first time, true-name registration is required in the area of IM. As a consequence, from now on, new IM users may need to provide proof of their true identity before registering an account. By its terms, the Provisional Regulation appears to mainly target mobile IM providers offering public information services, such as Wechat. This is not clearly stated in the Provisional Regulation, however, and chances are it may also apply to traditional PC-based IM providers like QQ, MSN and Skype.
- 《暂行规定》要求具有公共信息服务功能的即时通信工具提供者取得互联网新闻信息服务资质，这意味着未取得互联网新闻信息服务资质的即时通信工具需要暂停/关闭公共信息服务功能；
- The Provisional Regulation requires IM providers offering public information services to obtain Internet News Licenses. This means that an IM provider lacking such a license may need to suspend or shut down its public information services, with immediate effect, until it has obtained the necessary license.
- 《暂行规定》还要求，非新闻单位开设的公众账号转载时政类新闻需取得互联网新闻信息服务资质，其他类型的公众账号也需通过即时通信工具提供者向互联网信息内容主管部门进行分类备案，实际上在一定程度上将传统上对互联网内容的资质监管对象从互联网平台的提供者扩展至互联网平台的用户。
- The Provisional Regulation also requires non-news entities to obtain Internet News Licenses in order to repost news on current affairs and politics using their public accounts. In addition, IM providers should file registration records for other kinds of public accounts with the relevant local office of the SIIO. Importantly, these rules expand the traditional scope of license requirements from internet service providers to internet service users.
综上，《暂行规定》进一步加强了对互联网内容的监管，可以预见，今后国家对互联网内容，特别是新生社交传媒工具的审查和监管将日趋严格。
To sum up, the Provisional Regulation further strengthens the supervision of internet content. It is expected that control over internet content, in particular with respect to emerging social media tools, will likely grow stronger in the near future.
[1] 根据《暂行办法》的规定，公众信息服务，是指通过即时通信工具的公众账号及其他形式向公众发布信息的活动。