China Received 17.785 Million Online Reports in July

China’s cyberspace regulator received approximately 17.785 million online reports nationwide in July, according to official data published by the Central Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) Report Center. The figure represents reports of pornography, gambling, infringement, rumors, and other illegal or harmful online content submitted by netizens through various reporting channels.

Breakdown by Reporting Channel

The July total marks a 0.5% decrease month-on-month and a 5.1% decline year-on-year, as reported by Xinhua News. The data, published on August 7, breaks down as follows:

• CAC Report Center: 741,000 reports (74.1万件), up 8.7% month-on-month and up 43.7% year-on-year
• Local cyberspace reporting departments: 577,000 reports (57.7万件), down 7.4% month-on-month and down 7.1% year-on-year
• Major website platforms: 16.467 million reports (1646.7万件), down 0.6% month-on-month and down 6.4% year-on-year

According to the official CAC Report Center notice, the center stated that “all major national website platforms are continuously improving reporting channels and handling netizen reports,” welcoming netizens to “actively participate in comprehensive cyberspace governance and jointly maintain a clean cyberspace.”

The Reporting System

China’s online reporting system functions as a key mechanism for cybersecurity maintenance and internet governance. The CAC Report Center, established under the Central Cyberspace Administration of China, coordinates national efforts to receive and process reports of illegal and harmful online content.

Netizens can submit reports through multiple channels, including the www.12377.cn website, the “Network Reporting” mobile app, and the “National Network Reporting” WeChat and Weibo official accounts. The CAC has guided 2,976 website platforms to establish clear reporting channels for illegal and harmful information, as detailed in a background report from China.com.cn.

Reports cover a wide range of content categories, including pornography, gambling, personal infringement, rumors, violent or terrorist material, vulgar content, and fraud. The system also handles enterprise-related infringement reports, with dedicated channels for issues such as AI application misuse and misinformation targeting businesses.

Recent Developments

In June 2026, the CAC Report Center launched a dedicated “AI Application Chaos Reporting Zone” on www.12377.cn to accept reports on 14 categories of AI-related problems, including inadequate labeling of AI-generated content, AI “deepfake” manipulation of classics, and AI-generated false information. The center has also been conducting the “2026 National Online Reporting Series Publicity Campaign” to raise awareness about reporting mechanisms.

The reporting system’s broader impact extends to rumor debunking. The China Internet Joint Rumor Debunking Platform, operated by the CAC Report Center, received 18,200 rumor reports in 2025 and published over 17,000 rumor-debunking articles with 620 million views, according to the 2025 annual data release.

Trend Analysis

The July 2026 data continues a broader pattern of declining report volumes. The 2025 annual total of 223 million reports represented a 1.7% decrease from the previous year. However, a notable shift is occurring in how reports are distributed: the CAC Report Center’s own direct intake grew 43.7% year-on-year in July, suggesting that more netizens are channeling reports directly to the central authority rather than through local departments or platform mechanisms.

This shift may reflect increased public awareness of the central reporting channels, driven by publicity campaigns and the expansion of dedicated reporting zones for emerging issues like AI-related content. It also underscores the growing sophistication of China’s internet governance framework, which relies on citizen participation as a complement to regulatory enforcement.

What to Watch For

As China continues to expand its digital economy and AI applications proliferate, the online reporting system is likely to play an increasingly important role in content governance. The CAC Report Center has indicated it will continue to strengthen reporting channel accessibility, improve handling efficiency, and enhance the authority and timeliness of rumor debunking efforts. Observers will be watching whether the declining report volume trend stabilizes and how new reporting categories—particularly those related to AI—evolve in the coming months.