The online world is a virtual world, and most people surf the Internet in a civilized way according to regulations. However, some individuals spread rumors in online Weibo, forums, WeChat groups and WeChat friends circle, and deliberately spread false information. This behavior not only violates the relevant provisions of the Internet, but also constitutes a serious crime. So what are the charges of spreading online rumors? How to punish online rumor crimes? In China, online rumors will constitute a crime after reaching a certain standard and can be directly applied. The directly applicable crimes mainly include: libel, provocation, commodity reputation, fabricating and spreading false information in securities and futures trading, fabricating and spreading false terrorist information, disturbing the morale of the army in wartime, and misleading people in wartime. The above charges can generally be applied to different types of online rumors.

First, how to punish and sentence the crime of network rumors

Article 32 of the Criminal Law Amendment (IX) stipulates that one paragraph is added to Article 291 of the Criminal Law as the second paragraph: "Whoever creates a false danger, epidemic situation, disaster situation or police situation and spreads it on the information network or other media, or knowingly spreads it on the information network or other media, seriously disrupting social order, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or control; Those who cause serious consequences shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years. "

Second, the administrative punishment of online rumors

Those who spread rumors, falsely report dangerous situations, epidemic situations, police situations or intentionally disturb public order by other means, or openly insult others or fabricate facts to slander others, which do not constitute a crime, shall be given administrative penalties such as detention and fines in accordance with the Law on Public Security Administration Punishment.

Article 25 of the Law on Public Security Administration Punishment stipulates: "Anyone who commits one of the following acts shall be detained for more than five days and less than ten days, and may be fined up to five hundred yuan; If the circumstances are relatively minor, they shall be detained for not more than five days or fined not more than 500 yuan: (1) spreading rumors, falsely reporting dangerous situations, epidemic situations or police situations or intentionally disturbing public order by other means; (2) throwing false explosive, toxic, radioactive and corrosive substances or infectious disease pathogens to disturb public order; (3) Threatening to set fire, explode or throw dangerous substances to disturb public order. "

Third, the civil liability of network rumors.

If spreading rumors infringes on a citizen's personal reputation or infringes on the goodwill of a legal person, according to the provisions of China's General Principles of the Civil Law, it shall bear the responsibility of stopping the infringement, restoring the reputation, eliminating the influence, making an apology and compensating for the losses.