China's New Internet Platform Rules: Negative Corporate Info and CEO 'Spats' Banned from Trending Lists

(Central News Agency, reporter Lu Jiarong, Taipei, June 12) China is strengthening the governance of negative information about enterprises on internet platforms. According to the latest self-discipline convention published by China's Cyberspace Administration (CAC), internet platforms are required to strictly manage speech that insults, slanders, or spreads rumors about entrepreneurs. Trending lists and hot searches must not display AI-generated negative information about enterprises or 'spats' between entrepreneurs.

According to a report by state media CCTV News, the CAC announced today that under its guidance, key Chinese website platforms have jointly formulated a 'Self-Discipline Convention on Rectifying Enterprise-Related Infringement Information and Optimizing the Business Network Environment,' consisting of 10 articles.

Among them, the convention requires platforms to strengthen the management of trending topics and lists. They must not display AI-generated negative information about enterprises, nor hype up 'spats' between entrepreneurs, their private lives, or unverified negative hot events concerning enterprises.

Regarding algorithmic recommendations, the convention requires platforms to continuously upgrade their recommendation mechanisms. They must not recommend self-media accounts that specialize in collecting negative information about enterprises, industries, or entrepreneurs. AI-generated negative content about enterprises should be subject to traffic limitation.

The convention states that platforms should proactively remove verified false and inaccurate information about enterprises. They should also strengthen the crackdown on paid internet trolls (water armies) and bot accounts, and take action against accounts that post uniform talking points or massively disseminate homogenized content about enterprises.

A relevant official from the CAC believes the convention helps build industry consensus, strengthen industry self-discipline, improve the business network environment, and protect the legitimate online rights and interests of enterprises and entrepreneurs. The next step will be to continue supervising website platforms to implement the relevant requirements and promote the implementation of the convention. (Editor: Chen Kaiyu) 1150612