China has been tightening controls on independent content creators in its latest regulatory guidelines for tech companies after the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) published a notice Monday (July 10).
According to Bloomberg, online platforms must take timely action to monitor and suspend user accounts spreading false information or weighing in on hot-button topics in a harmful manner, among other steps required by the CAC.
There are 13 guidelines in the notice dated last week, but it did not outline specifics about the type of content considered illegal or harmful. The CAC instead stated it would be the responsibility of platform providers to strengthen their management of so-called self-made accounts.
China's Curbs on Content Creation
Among the requirements, the CAC provided are better verification of accounts and labeling of rumors or controversial content, as well as streamlining the algorithm to promote more content that dispels rumors. The document also called on platform operators to strictly verify content creators producing information in realms including finance, education, media, and public health.
The curbs came after China released draft guidelines last week requiring online service providers to clamp down on cyberbullying content under threat of fines under existing laws for online security and personal data protection.
This week's updates were the latest in a string of CAC measures aimed at tightening the Chinese government's grip over tech platforms like Tencent Holdings, ByteDance, and Weibo.
