China's internet regulator said on 19 September that platforms had removed more than 1.56 million items of information it says infringed on companies, and dealt with more than 26,000 accounts [1].
The figures come from a campaign by the Cyberspace Administration of China against what it calls malicious hype about businesses [1].
The campaign targets accounts that smear companies, or compile and amplify negative information about them [1].
It also targets those seeking illegal gains "in the name of supervision", and posts that stir up conflict between groups of consumers [1].
What it covers
Accounts on Chinese platforms. The regulator's examples include [1]:
- accounts on Xiaohongshu, Toutiao, Weibo and Sohu that posted negative claims about companies and then demanded "publicity fees" to remove them;
- accounts on Toutiao, Bilibili and Weibo that spread false claims about companies' finances and product quality around new product launches;
- accounts that repeatedly recirculated old negative news about companies and predicted their decline.
The accounts named were closed or otherwise dealt with, according to the regulator [1].
What it does not tell you
How many of the removed posts were false. The regulator publishes totals, not a breakdown, and it decides what counts as infringing [1].
How accurate criticism of companies is treated. The release does not distinguish it [1].
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