Rights Defense Network: Some Regulations by Which the CCP Regime Will Strengthen Social Control in 2026

I、The new 《Cybersecurity Law》 will take effect on January 1, 2026。

Key points：

1、 The new law substantially increases penalties for platforms that “fail to perform their legal obligations to handle illegal information”。

If network operators discover information whose publication or transmission is prohibited by laws or administrative regulations， they must immediately stop transmitting it， take measures such as deletion， prevent the information from spreading， preserve relevant records， and report to the relevant competent authorities。 The new law comprehensively upgrades penalties for situations in which “network operators fail to stop transmitting information whose publication or transmission is prohibited by laws or administrative regulations， or fail to take measures such as deletion”， In addition to imposing huge fines on platforms （up to 10 million）， serious cases will also face penalties including revocation of business licenses and closure of websites or applications。 At the same time， directly responsible supervisors and other directly responsible personnel will also face high personal fines （up to 1 million）。 This kind of “penetration-style” pursuit of individual responsibility means that whether they are platform executives， reviewers or content publishers， all will become extremely cautious when facing statements that could trigger controversy。 To avoid “ten-million-level” huge fines and the risk of suspension for rectification， platforms will significantly tighten their internal review standards and increase active filtering and targeted removal of online speech、 user posts and the acquisition of specific information。

2、 Nationwide real-name registration of online identities （Article 24）

Core content： When network operators handle network-access or domain-name registration services for users， handle network-access procedures for fixed-line telephones、 mobile telephones and other services， or provide users with services such as information publication and instant messaging， they must require users to provide authentic identity information。 If users do not provide authentic identity information， network operators may not provide them with the relevant services。

Anyone who publishes speech or obtains or shares specific information online is in a state of “real-name registration in the background”。 This provision restricts the space for anonymous expression at its source。

3、 Enforcement and blocking measures concerning “illegal information” （Article 50）

Core content： Government cyberspace-affairs departments and relevant departments shall, in accordance with the law, perform their duties of supervising and administering cybersecurity， and when they discover information whose publication or transmission is prohibited by laws or administrative regulations， they shall require network operators to stop transmitting it and take measures such as deletion。 For the above-mentioned information originating from outside the country， they shall notify relevant institutions to take technical and other necessary measures to block its dissemination。

This provision directly establishes administrative blocking powers over online content， includes filtering and blocking mechanisms for specific overseas websites and information sources， and directly restricts citizens’ freedom to obtain information from outside the country。

4、 The first dedicated “artificial intelligence provision”： It establishes an AI governance framework at the legal level， requiring cloud service providers、 content providers and others that use AI to provide services to establish rigorous “risk monitoring and assessment” and compliance mechanisms and block channels for using AI to disseminate non-compliant content。

In addition to the 《Cybersecurity Law》， accompanying draft legislation such as the 《Law on the Prevention and Control of Cybercrime （Draft for Solicitation of Comments）》 released at the beginning of 2026 further clarifies the prohibition on individuals and organizations circumventing internet censorship （commonly known as “climbing over the wall”） and otherwise obtaining information in violation of regulations， forming a denser and more three-dimensional network of controls over online public opinion and citizens’ freedom to obtain information。

Upgraded cross-border internet controls： In April 2026， monitoring of cross-border access at the operator level was further tightened。 Operators in some provinces even activated a “circuit-breaker mechanism”, under which once non-compliant cross-border access (circumventing the firewall) is detected， users face penalties including instantaneous loss of internet access or direct service suspension。

II、 《Provisions on Military Service Registration》

On January 1, 2026， the 《Provisions on Military Service Registration》 jointly issued by the General Office of the State Council and the General Office of the Central Military Commission officially took effect。

Key points：

1、 Comprehensive mandatory “military service registration” for 18-year-old men； all Chinese male citizens who reach the age of 18 by December 31 of that year must complete initial military service registration between January 1 and September 30。

2、 Military service registration will be deeply tied to individual social rights and benefits， and young people of the relevant age who fail to complete military service registration on time will face strict restrictions and joint disciplinary measures in areas including personal credit records、 further education、 employment and the processing of procedures for leaving the country。

3、 The introduction of electronic military service registration certificates means that previously dispersed local registration information can be incorporated into a nationwide information database。

4、 Women will be included in reserve-service registration。

5、 Professional and technical personnel with high-tech backgrounds will be classified and marked。

III、《Regulations of the State Council on Outbound Investment》 (State Council Order No. 837) were promulgated in May 2026 and will take effect on July 1, 2026。

Key point： Comprehensive inclusion in national security reviews： The regulations stipulate that when domestic enterprises、 organizations and “resident individuals” make overseas investments directly or indirectly， they must effectively implement controls, with the aim of preventing capital flight、 technology transfers and the accompanying compliance risks, and safeguarding the “national sovereignty、 security and development interests” identified by the CCP regime。

IV、The new 《Administrative Measures for Customer Due Diligence and the Preservation of Customer Identity Information and Transaction Records by Financial Institutions》， jointly issued by the People’s Bank of China、 the National Financial Regulatory Administration and the China Securities Regulatory Commission， officially took effect on January 1, 2026。

Lower verification threshold， The new rules reduce the threshold for cross-border remittances requiring identity verification from the previous US$10,000 to the equivalent of US$1,000 (or RMB 5,000)； the new regulations extend the minimum retention period for customer identity information and transaction records from five years under the previous regulations to 10 years。

V、《Opinions on Fully Leveraging the Functions of Judicial Offices to Serve Grassroots Social Governance》

In April 2026， the Ministry of Justice、 the Central Social Work Department、 the Central Commission for Political and Legal Affairs and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued the 《Opinions on Fully Leveraging the Functions of Judicial Offices to Serve Grassroots Social Governance》。 The document provides comprehensive upgraded regulations on the participation of 39,000 judicial offices nationwide in social governance。

Key point： Fully granting and strengthening the functions of judicial offices in grassroots social control； coordinating and strengthening the daily management and stabilization of community-correction subjects、 released prisoners and other “key groups”。

The control measures in 2026 display the characteristic of combining “rule-of-law packaging” with “technological penetration”。 By transforming previously scattered administrative directives into formal laws (such as the 《Law on the Prevention and Control of Cybercrime》)， and using AI and big data to achieve precise monitoring， the CCP regime is attempting to build a comprehensive, 1984-style system of social control without blind spots。