On October 16, Tencent launched the “Security Knowledge” Network Security Protection Program for Senior Citizens themed “caring for senior citizens and protecting the happiness of the family” in Beijing under the joint guidance of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Public Security, and the Publicity Department of the National Institute on Ageing. Chen Shiqu, Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau under the Ministry of Public Security, Zhang Fengyan, deputy department-level inspector of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, Diao Haifeng, Director of the Publicity Department of the National Institute on Ageing, and Chen Yong, deputy general manager of Tencent‘s Security Management Department, attended the event to call on the whole society to safeguard online security for senior citizens with their own strengths.

The aging of the population and the networking of life are important trends in Chinese society. As the networking process speeds up, Chinese netizens aged 50 and above has reached 10.4% of the total. However, middle-aged and senior citizens still have trouble in using the Internet, making them potential victims of various crimes, such as communications fraud, pyramid scheme, rumor, and food problems. Therefore, it is imperative for the government, enterprises and families to improve the cyber security risk awareness and identification ability of middle-aged and elderly people, and guide them to use the Internet correctly and safely.

In June 2015, the State Council established an inter-ministerial joint meeting to combat new telecommunication and network-related crimes led by the Ministry of Public Security and participated by 23 departments. The State Council deployed all related departments and industry organizations to jointly launch a special campaign against new telecommunication and network-related crimes. So far, the campaign has achieved new achievements and progress in many aspects.

Chen Shiqu, Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, said: “In recent years, fraud cases have grown rapidly. Middle-aged and elderly people are more vulnerable to such crime for their lack of relevant knowledge and awareness, and this may cause huge economic losses and serious adverse impact.” Tencent is one of the new crime prevention and control centers of the Ministry of Public Security to combat telecommunications and network related crimes. It provides strong technical support and guarantee for the investigation disruption of telecommunications network-related fraud, and the launch of the “Security Knowledge” project for the protection of middle-aged and elderly netizens is a great boost to the safety education for middle-aged and elderly people. The public security department will relentlessly crack down on telecommunication and network-related fraud targeting middle-aged and elderly people. Together with members of the State Council’s inter-ministerial joint meeting to combat new telecommunication and network-related crimes, the public security department will always protect the rights and interests of middle-aged and elderly people.

The procuratorial office has made remarkable achievements in punishing telecommunication and network-related fraud cases. In 2016, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the People’s Bank of China issued a joint notice for the supervision of the handling of 62 major cases represented by the “Xu Yuyu Case”. In two years, 51,000 criminals of telecommunication network-related fraud were prosecuted. Zhang Jun, procurator-general of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, pointed out at the Video and Telephone Conference on National Procuratorial Organs’ Study and Implementation of the Spirit of NPC and CPPCC held in March this year that procuratorial organs at all levels should earnestly implement the requirements for maintaining the stability of the overall situation of the society, with particular emphasis on deepening the combat against telecommunication network-related fraud.

Zhang Fengyan, deputy department-level inspector of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, said at the conference: “In addition to the prevention and punishment of cybercrimes such as telecommunication and network-related fraud, procuratorial organs should also actively undertake the responsibility of popularizing laws among state organs, as well as participating in the protection of the rights and interests of the elderly in different forms.” Tencent actively fulfills its social responsibilities and popularize laws related to network security among senior citizens. It has enriched the protection mechanism for and enhanced the protection of the elderly, which is quite laudable.

There is a prominent feature for the ninth “Respect for the Elderly Month” campaign this year, that is to focus on the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly, severely crack down on telecommunication and network-related fraud, financial fraud, house-for-pension fraud, health product fraud, and other criminal activities, and to make anti-fraud special publicity among the elderly as a key part of the activity.

According to Diao Haifeng, Director of the Publicity Department of the National Institute on Ageing, the number of senior netizens is growing rapidly. As the internet making our life more convenient, it is causing more telecommunication and network-related fraud cases among the elderly, bringing much trouble to the victims and their family. Therefore, it is a common responsibility of the whole society to provide the elderly with more cyber security knowledge and raise their cyber security awareness. Mr. Diao hopes that the campaign can effectively enhance the anti-fraud awareness of middle-aged and elderly people. We also hope that the public can take more actions to eliminate risks for the elderly posed by the internet, reduce fraud cases, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of elderly netizens. Through severe punishment on frauds, we endeavor to create a pleasant cyber environment for senior netizens.

Chen Yong, deputy general manager of Tencent’s Security Management Department, said: “Tencent has been committed to researches in the field of internet security and protecting the rights and interests of middle-aged and elderly internet users.” Under the guidance of the Criminal Investigation Bureau under the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Public Security, and the Publicity Department of the National Institute on Ageing, Tencent launched the “Cyber Security Protection and Security Knowledge Project for Middle-aged and Elderly Netizens” by integrating the concerns of enterprises and products with middle-aged and elderly people and corporate social responsibility. The Security Knowledge Classroom in the project is designed to enhance elderly netizens’ related knowledge, thus avoiding risks of the internet. We expect to better protect cyber security of middle-aged and elderly people through a series of activities.

Through the Security Knowledge Classroom, Chen Shiqu, Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, Sun Ning, an outstanding public prosecutor of China, and Men Meizi, Chief Researcher of Tencent Network Security and Crime Research base, gave three wonderful anti-fraud lectures to more than 200 middle-aged and senior citizens through typical cases. These lectures talked about health product fraud, frauds in disguise of public security personnel, the prevalent financial fraud and free product fraud targeting middle-aged and elderly people, analyzed the tricks of frauds, and provided anti-fraud methods, so as to help middle-aged and elderly people identify and thus avoid telecommunication and network-related fraud. Elderly audience present at the lectures said that through the vivid and detailed lectures, they got to know the tricks of fraud, which could strengthen their ability to identify and guard against these scams in their daily life.

More than 200 middle-aged and elderly participants present at the activity were offered the Cyber Security Manual for Middle-aged and Elderly Netizens free of charge. The Security Knowledge Classroom provides security knowledge for middle-aged and elderly people covering various types of fraud, illegal fund-raising, rumors and other scams. Besides, under the professional guidance of the government, several 3 to 5-minute cyber security videos were produced and played among the audience, each analyzing a typical scam. Also, the Network Security Manual for Senior Citizens was distributed among the audience to provide them with detailed analyses of cyber risks and cyber security tips. And by analyzing some articles on prevalent scams, we endeavor to provide middle-aged and elderly people cyber security knowledge in a simpler way. The Security Knowledge Classroom will be launched on Tencent News, Fact Check, Tencent Video, WeChat Pay, WeChat Security Center, Tencent 110, Tencent Mobile Manager and other Tencent platforms as well as official WeChat accounts of the government during the Double Ninth Festival.

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About Security Knowledge Project:

Facing an increasingly complex cyber security environment and enhanced cyber risks, Tencent launched the Security Knowledge Project to enhance elderly netizens’ related knowledge, thus avoiding risks of the internet. The Security Knowledge Classroom of the project provides security knowledge for middle-aged and elderly people covering various types of fraud, illegal fund-raising, rumors and other scams. Besides, under the professional guidance of the government, several 3 to 5-minute cyber security videos were produced and played among the audience, each analyzing a typical scam. Also, the Network Security Manual for Senior Citizens was distributed among the audience to provide them with detailed analyses of cyber risks and cyber security tips. And by analyzing some articles on prevalent scams, we endeavor to provide middle-aged and elderly people cyber security knowledge in a simpler way.

The Security Knowledge Classroom will be launched on Tencent News, Fact Check, Tencent Video, WeChat Pay, WeChat Security Center, Tencent 110, Tencent Mobile Manager and other Tencent platforms as well as official WeChat accounts of the government during the Double Ninth Festival. Come to the Security Knowledge Classroom for more cyber security knowledge and enhanced risk prevention awareness.