China's courts concluded 9,326 cases involving crimes endangering cyber security over the past five years, marking a 158.5% increase from the previous five-year period [1]. In 2025 alone, courts concluded 25,000 cases of crimes assisting information network criminal activities involving 38,000 individuals, although this figure was down 62% from the previous year [1].
New types of cybercrimes such as doxxing—illegally obtaining and sharing private information—and drunk use of assisted-driving features have come under stricter legal penalties [1]. Two young individuals, a PhD student named Zhao and a junior student named Cheng, were convicted of maliciously doxxing voice actors for virtual idols. They conspired with overseas contacts to gather personal data and shared details like victims’ movements and medical visits on an overseas social platform, leading to online harassment and offline stalking [1].
Chinese courts have also actively punished other cyber offenses such as online rumor-mongering, pyramid schemes, and cyber violence [1]. Supreme People's Court president Zhang Jun presented the court’s work report on March 9, 2026, at the second plenary meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress, detailing these enforcement actions [1].
Cybersecurity expert Qin An said, "With growing public reliance on cyberspace, law enforcement priorities, capabilities, and technological support are increasingly focused on the area" [1].
