China is looking to escalate measures against cybercriminals operating inside and outside its borders by banning convicted citizens from leaving the country, even after they have completed their sentence.
The draft Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law bill comes as China doubles down on working with Southeast Asian countries to crack down on cross-border online fraud.
The bill, which aims to impose an exit ban on Chinese found guilty of cross-border online crimes for up to three years after serving their sentence, was announced by Beijing’s public security ministry on Saturday. It will be open for public comment until next month.
The draft bill is seen as potentially strengthening China’s defences against cybercrime and as a complement to the Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law that came into effect in 2022.
In addition to targeting cybercrime or activities that aid cybercrime within and beyond the borders of mainland China, the draft bill seeks to curb actions that support cybercriminals, including businesses that offer payment platforms, servers, accounts or advertisements, or engage in recruitment.
The newly drafted bill also targets actions such as “spreading fake news and fabricated information” and publishing information that “goes against public order and accepted social morals to gain traffic or advertising revenue”.