Alert for Lovers: Obscene Info in Private Chats Is Illegal！
The newly revised Law of the People's Republic of China on Public Security Administration Punishments was recently promulgated and shall come into force on **January 1, 2026**.
Under the new law, spreading harmful information in private conversations is also illegal—everyone must take note of this!
Article 80 clearly stipulates: "Whoever produces, transports, reproduces, sells or rents pornographic books, periodicals, pictures, films, audio-visual products or other pornographic items, or disseminates pornographic information through information networks, telephones or other communication tools shall be detained for not less than ten days but not more than fifteen days and may also be fined not more than five thousand yuan; if the circumstances are relatively minor, the offender shall be detained for not more than five days or fined not less than one thousand yuan but not more than three thousand yuan. Where the pornographic items or pornographic information specified in the preceding paragraph involve minors, a heavier punishment shall be imposed."
The revision of this article removes the implicit restrictions on dissemination scenarios in the original clause, explicitly bringing all types of communication tools such as information networks and telephones under regulation. Whether it is a public WeChat group or forum, or a private WeChat chat or one-on-one phone call, any act of spreading pornographic information falls within the scope of punishment.
Additionally, it adds a provision for heavier punishment in cases involving minors.
It is particularly important to clarify that the "pornographic information" prohibited by law has a clear definition. The core official source of this definition is Article 367 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, which stipulates: "For the purposes of this Law, pornographic items refer to pornographic books, periodicals, films, video tapes, audio tapes, pictures and other pornographic items that explicitly depict sexual acts or explicitly promote pornography."
It follows that scientific works on human physiology and medical knowledge, as well as literary and artistic works containing sexual content but possessing artistic value, shall not be deemed pornographic items.
It should also be understood that private conversations in the digital age have the attribute of "quasi-public dissemination". Pornographic information in a private chat can be easily screenshot and forwarded, making its dissemination scope and social harm difficult to control.
In reality, in the case of Lu v. People's Court of Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, Lu forwarded 54 pornographic short videos to friends via WeChat multiple times; in the case of Li Peipei v. People's Court of Qingyuan City, Li Peipei disseminated 104 videos identified as pornographic to 7 friends. In both cases, the defendants were convicted of the crime of spreading pornographic items due to serious circumstances and subject to criminal sanctions.
It is evident that regardless of whether profit is sought, and whether the act occurs in a public or private setting, anyone who spreads pornographic information up to the statutory standard shall bear legal liability, have a criminal record, and face long-term impacts on their personal work and life.
Note：Chinese version of this post today is provided.
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