Cyberspace Authorities Tighten Oversight on Self-Media for Unlabeled Information Sources

Cyberspace regulators have recently identified improper practices by self-media accounts in publishing information related to current affairs and politics without properly indicating the sources of such content. Such actions have misled public perception and disrupted the online environment. Common violations include failing to cite sources for information about domestic and international current affairs, public policies, and social events; omitting AI-generated content labels; and neglecting to tag fictional or dramatized content. Authorities have instructed online platforms to conduct thorough self-inspections and corrective measures, leading to the disciplinary action against more than 98,000 non-compliant accounts in accordance with laws and platform regulations. The following are typical cases:

Self-media accounts such as “青青国际” and “极客科普馆” on Douyin, “名妍” on Kuaishou, and “晋说” and “军武-史记” on BILIBILI-W aggregated and disseminated international news related to countries like the U.S. and Iran without indicating information sources. This made it difficult for the public to trace the origin of the information and verify its authenticity. The accounts involved have been penalized as required.

Accounts including “小胖农业” and “乡村发展” on Douyin, “农民大姐” and “清华鱼妈” on Kuaishou, and “商业策略” on BILIBILI-W released information about public policies in areas such as agriculture, education, and elderly care without proper source attribution. As a result, the public could not access accurate and authoritative information, potentially leading to misunderstandings based on fragmented content. These accounts have been subject to penalties.

Accounts such as “萌萌哒” and “用户赵先生” on Douyin, “农村户外小张1” and “玉婷” on Kuaishou, “金毛治郁系” on WB-SW, and “哎呦哎呦小然子” on BILIBILI-W used artificial intelligence to produce and publish videos showing scenarios like a golden retriever holding a child, a gorilla protecting its young from a crocodile, a tiger and an orange cat driving home for a visit, a kitten wearing glasses after eye strain from gaming, and a Shiba Inu cooking as a chef. These videos lacked AI-generation labels, which could easily mislead internet users unfamiliar with AI and blur the line between virtual and reality. The involved accounts have been disciplined accordingly.

Accounts including “刘百川商业” and “马瑞(在农村)” on Douyin, “玉雕师凤云” on Kuaishou, “遇见翡翠的夏天” on WeChat Channels, and “加油嘉宜” on BILIBILI-W posted scripted or fictional content, such as delivery riders facing discrimination, conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, generational disputes, unattended minors, and negative portrayals of rural life, without applying fictional or dramatization labels. Such practices were used to attract traffic and stir negative emotions by amplifying divisive narratives. These accounts have been penalized in line with regulations.

Cyberspace authorities will guide online platforms to standardize the labeling of short video content comprehensively, improve labeling functionalities, and make labeling a mandatory step in the video publishing process. Self-media creators are reminded to strengthen awareness of source attribution, proactively and correctly label information during content creation and distribution, and ensure the authenticity and completeness of published information to help build a credible online environment.