Translation:Administrative Regulations for Internet Religious Information (PRC)

by State Council of the PRC

Administrative Regulations for Internet Religious Information Services

Chapter 1 - General Principles

Article 1 - In order to standardize internet religious information services, protect the religious freedom of citizens, in accordance with the Internet Safety Law of the People's Republic of China , Administrative Regulations for Internet Information Services, Regulation on Religious Affairs and other laws and regulations, these regulations are thus laid down.

Article 2 - Internet religious information services within the borders of the People's Republic of China are subject to these regulations.

Internet religious information services stated by this law include internet religious information publishing services, reprinting services, dissemination platform services as well as other relevant internet religious information services.

Article 3 - Internet religious information services should follow the constitution, regulations and rules, practice core socialist values, uphold our country's principle of independent self-management of religion, uphold our country's direction to sinicize religion, positively guide religion to fit together with socialist society, protect religious amiability, social harmony and ethnic concord.

Article 4 - Administration of internet religious information services upholds and protects the principles of legality, prohibiting illegality, suppressing extremism, resisting infiltration, and striking criminality.

Article 5 - Religious affairs departments carry out supervision and administration of internet religious information services in accordance with the law. Internet information departments, administrative departments for telecommunications, public security organizations, national security organizations and others conduct administrative management work within their respective jurisdictions in accordance with the law.

Provincial and higher-level People's government religious affairs departments shall establish coordinating mechanisms for administration of internet religious information services with internet information departments, administrative departments for telecommunications, public security organizations, national security organizations and others.

Chapter 2 - Internet Religious Information Services Permissions

Article 6 - Internet websites, applications, forums, blogs, microblogs, public accounts, instant-messaging tools, webcasts and other formats that use text, images, videos and other methods to give services to the public that provide religious teachings and ordinances, religious knowledge, religious culture, religious activities and other information should obtain internet religious information services permits, and fulfill the following conditions:

1) The applicant is a corporate organization or an unincorporated organization within the borders of the People's Republic of China that is established lawfully, and its legal representative or principal director is a resident with Chinese citizenship.

2) It possesses an auditor who is familiar with national religious policies and rules, as well as related information regarding religious knowledge.

3) It possesses a sound system of management for internet religious information services.

4) It possesses a sound system of management for information safety and sound measures of technical support for safety control.

5) It possesses a location, facilities and finances that match its services.

6) The applicant, legal representative or principal director have no criminal record and no actions in violation of relevant national religious affairs administrative rules within the previous three years.

Organizations or persons outside the country as well as organizations they have established within the country may not engage in internet religious information services within the country

Article 7 Those engaging in internet religious information services should make application to their local provincial, autonomous regional or directly-governed municipal People's government's religious affairs department, fill in an application form for internet religious information services, and supply the following materials:

1) Material showing the applicant's legal establishment or registration as well as identity documentation of the legal representative or principal director.

2) An explanation of the internet religious information service's auditor's participation in educational training regarding national religious policies, rules and related information regarding religious knowledge, as well as conditions regarding its ability to audit.

3) Materials showing a system of management for internet religious information services, a system of management for information safety and measures of technical support.

4) An explanation regarding the internet religious information service's location, facilities and financial conditions.

5) A declaration concerning the applicant, legal representative or principal director having no criminal record and no actions in violation of relevant national religious affairs administrative rules within the previous three years.

6) Relevant material regarding titles, capabilities and domain names of the proposed engagement in internet religious information services.

Those applying to provide internet religious information dissemination platform services, should also provide a system of rules for managing registration of platform users, a user agreement template, a complaint report system, etc. Material within the user agreement template that relates to internet religious information services should be in conformity with the relevant rules of these regulations.

The format for the application form for internet religious information services should be set by the national bureau of religious affairs.

National religious organizations and religious schools they manage that engage in internet religious information services should make an application to the national bureau of religious affairs.

Article 8 The name of the engagement in internet religious information services, other than a name identical with the applicant, should not take the name of a religious organization, religious school, religious activity centre, etc. It must not include material prohibited by laws or administrative regulations.

Article 9 Provincial and higher-level People's government religious affairs departments shall make a decision of approval or rejection of the application within 20 days of reception. If a decision of approval is given, it shall issue an Internet Religious Information Services Permit; if a decision of rejection is given, it shall give a written notice to the applicant with an explanation of reasons.

Internet Religious Information Services Permits shall be printed by the national religious affairs bureau.

Once an applicant has obtained an Internet Religious Information Services Permit, the applicant shall carry out relevant procedures in accordance with relevant rules of the internet information services administration.

Article 10 Those engaging in internet religious information services shall display the identifying number of their Internet Religious Information Services Permit in a notable location.

Article 11 Once an applicant has obtained an Internet Religious Information Services Permit, if issues occur that greatly impact the conditions of the permit, then the applicant shall report to the original organ that issued the permit for examination and approval; other issues of changes shall be reported to the original organ that issued the permit.

Article 12 If internet religious information services are ended, then the permit holder shall carry out cancellation procedures at the original organ that issued the permit within 30 days of the end of services.

Article 13 Internet Religious Information Services Permits are valid for 3 years. If there is an intent to continue providing internet religious information services past the date of expiration, then a new application shall be made at the original organ that issued the permit 30 days prior to the expiration.

Chapter 3 - Internet Religious Information Services Administration

Article 14 Internet religious information must not include the following content:

1) Exploiting religion for inciting subversion to national authority, opposition to the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, harm to the socialist system, national unity, ethnic unity and social stability, dissemination of extremism, terrorism, ethnic separation and religious fanaticism.

2) Exploiting religion to obstruct the operations of national justice, education, marriage, social management and other systems.

3) Exploiting religion to disseminate evil cults and feudal superstitions, or exploiting religion to harm the bodily health of citizens, fraud and coercion to obtain wealth.

4) Violating our country's principle of independent self-management of religion.

5) Harming the harmony between different religions, between people of one religion or between religious citizens and non-religious citizens.

6) Discriminating against or insulting religious citizens or non-religious citizens, harming the legal rights of religious citizens or non-religious citizens.

7) Conducting illegal religious activities or providing convenience for illegal religious activities.

8) Guiding minors to have religious faith, or organizing, forcing minors to participate in religious activities.

9) Using the name of religion to conduct business advertising, sales, sending religious products, publications of material of internal religious nature and illegal publications.

10) Impersonating religious clerical staff to host activities.

11) Other content that is prohibited by laws, administrative regulations and national rules.

Article 15 A religious group, religious school, temple, mosque or church that has obtained an Internet Religious Information Services Permit may only be limited to its legally self-established website, application, forum or other service, with religious clerical staff, teachers of religious schools teaching on scriptures and doctrines, explaining religious teachings and rules, with material which is beneficial to social harmony, progress of the times, healthy civilization, and which will lead religious citizens to be law-abiding patriots. Participants in teachings on religious scriptures and doctrines shall have real name authentication management.

Article 16 A religious school that has obtained an Internet Religious Information Services Permit may only be limited to its legally self-established website, application, forum or other service to conduct religious educational training to religious school students or religious teaching staff. Special internet sites, applications, forums or other services for external use that must use virtual private network connections, will employ identification checks for participants in educational training.

Article 17 Other than the situations mentioned within the rules of article 15 and 16 of these measures, no organization or individual can carry out online missionary work, carry out religious education training, transmit or relay teaching on scriptures and doctrines, link to related material, organize and carry out religious activities online, use words, images, videos or other methods to broadcast or record Buddha worship, incense burning, initiations to monkhood, religious chanting, Sunday services, masses, baptisms and other religious ceremonies.

Article 18 No organization or individual on the internet can create religious organizations, religious schools and religious activity centres, or make conversions.

Article 19 No organization or individual on the internet can carry out fundraising under a religious name.

Charitable organizations established by religious organizations, religious schools and religious activity centres that engage in charitable fundraising, should conform to the relevant rules of the People's Republic of China Charity Law

Article 20 Those providing platform services for broadcasting of internet religious information, should have agreements with registered platform users, and check registered users true identity information.

Article 21 Internet information broadcasting platforms that have not obtained an Internet Religious Information Services Permit, should strengthen management of registered platform users, and must not provide dissemination services for internet religious information.

Article 22 Those engaging in internet religious information services, upon discovering information violating rules in these measures, should immediately end transmission of this information, carry out deletions and other methods of resolution, prevent the spread of the information, save related records, as well as make a report to relevant administrative departments.

Article 23 Religious affairs departments should strengthen day-to-day guidance, supervision and examination of internet religious information services, establish a case record of internet religious information service violations, a joint list of broken promises and punishments of parties as well as a system for discussions, strengthen special training for persons engaging in relevant internet religious information services, accept reports of violations of internet religious information services, study and make decisions about internet religious information, and in accordance with the law deal with illegal acts in cooperation with internet information departments, telecommunications administrative departments and national security organs.

Article 24 Internet information departments should strengthen administration of internet information material, and deal with illegal internet religious information in accordance with the law.

Article 25 Telecommunications administrative departments should strengthen supervision of the internet industry, and cooperatively deal with illegal activities of those engaging in internet religious information in accordance with the law.

Article 26 Public security organs should strengthen administrative security supervision of internet information services and in accordance with the law, prevent and deal with illegal criminal activities within internet religious information services.

Article 27 National security organs should, in accordance with the law, prevent and deal with internet activities under the name of religion that harm national security that come from institutions, organizations and individuals beyond the borders as well as institutions, organizations and individuals within the borders that thus collaborate with institutions, organizations and individuals beyond the borders.

Chapter 4 - Legal Responsibilities

Article 28 Applicants who hide relevant situations or who provide false documentation to apply for internet religious information service permits, shall not be accepted for review or shall not be given permits by a religious affairs department, permits that are already granted shall be revoked in accordance with the law, furthermore a warning shall be given.

Those who engage in internet religious information services without authorization, shall have their relevant services and activities stopped by a religious affairs department acting with telecommunications administrative departments in accordance with their duties.

Article 29 Those who violate rules of articles 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 or 19 of these regulations, will be ordered to be corrected by a religious affairs department within a timely fashion; for those who refuse to be corrected, they shall be punished in accordance with relevant laws and rules of administrative regulations by internet information departments, administrative departments for telecommunications, public security organizations, national security organizations and others.

Article 30 If registered users of internet religious information broadcasting platforms who violate the rules of these regulations, religious affairs departments shall together with internet information departments and public security organizations, order the providers of the internet religious information broadcasting platform, in accordance with laws and agreements, to use measures including the issuance of warnings and carrying out rectification, and restriction of services up to the closure of accounts.

Article 31 Those who violate these regulations and also violate Internet Information Services Administrative Measures as well as relevant national administrative rules regarding internet news information services, internet video and audio program services, internet publishing services and others, shall be dealt with in accordance with the law by religious affairs departments, internet information departments, telecommunications administrative departments, public security organizations, televised broadcasting administrative departments, film administrative departments, publishing administrative departments and others.

Article 32 National employees engaging in administrative work over internet religious information services who abuse their duties and authority, are derelict in duty, play favouritism and commit irregularities, shall be punished in accordance with the law.

Article 33 Those who violate the rules of these measures and amount to acts that violate public security administration, will be given to public security administration to be punished in accordance with the law; that which amounts to criminality will be pursued and held criminally responsible in accordance with the law.

Chapter 5 - Supplementary

Article 34 Those who already engage in internet religious information services prior to the implementation of these measures, shall within 6 months of the implementation of these measures, carry out the relevant processes in accordance with the rules of these measures.

Article 35 The interpretation of these measures shall be the responsibility of the national religious affairs bureau, the national internet information office, the ministry of industry and information technology, the public security ministry and the national security ministry.

Article 36 These measures begin to take effect on March 1st 2022.