Beijing Internet Court called for people in all walks of life to intensify efforts to purify cyberspace and suggested young people comment online more sensibly when supporting their idols.
The court filed 41,948 internet-related cases from January to November, of which, about 28 percent were related to reputation infringement.
Using research on reputation-related disputes, the court found that many defendants were university students or jobless young people aged 19 to 30, "and they were taken to our court, as they supported their own idols by insulting other celebrities with ugly words or falsified facts," said Jiang Ying, vice-president of the court.
Such defamation by fans or followers of singers, actors or actresses often happens on Chinese social media, including Sina Weibo and WeChat, Jiang said when explaining the court's research at a press conference on Thursday.
A few followers took the defamation as support for their own idols, "which is neither sensible nor good to keep the online environment in order," she said, adding anyone's affection for a pop star cannot be above the law.
But she noted celebrities as public figures should accept comments on their performances, even though some sharp words might make them unhappy.
Source: China Daily
