China: 77,000 Prosecuted for Online Crimes in First Half of 2026
China's Supreme People's Procuratorate announced that 77,000 individuals were prosecuted for crimes committed online during the first half of 2026. This included 32,000 cases related to telecom and online fraud.
China's Supreme People's Procuratorate reported prosecuting 77,000 individuals for online crimes in the first six months of 2026. Among these, 32,000 prosecutions were specifically for telecommunication and online fraud offenses.
Nationwide, procuratorates approved arrests for 312,000 suspects and filed public prosecutions in 603,000 cases during the period. This represents a year-on-year decrease of 4.4% in arrests and 11.5% in prosecutions.
The procuratorates have been actively involved in campaigns targeting cybercrime, including online violence, rumor-mongering, and extortion. Prosecutions for infringement of citizens' personal information also saw 2,641 cases.
In addition to cybercrime, the authorities emphasized strengthening judicial protection of intellectual property rights, particularly in emerging fields like artificial intelligence and biotechnology. This led to 7,500 prosecutions for intellectual property rights violations.