Chinese 'self-media' accounts penalized for misleading publishing

Cyberspace authorities in China have penalized more than 98,000 self-media accounts for publishing news and information without citing sources, misleading public perception and undermining the online information ecosystem, the country's Cyberspace Administration said on Sunday.

Self-media, known in China as "zimeiti", is a reference to non-institutional content providers on social media platforms such as WeChat and Weibo.

The violations cited by the Cyberspace Administration of China include failing to attribute sources for domestic and international news, public policies and social events, omitting artificial intelligence-generation labels, and neglecting to mark fictional or staged content. The administration has urged platforms to conduct their own inspections of content.

The administration detailed cases where accounts released videos of primates protecting cubs from crocodiles and dogs cooking without labeling them as AI-generated. In addition, the administration stated that a number of accounts — to incite group division and get more views — staged dramatic scenes, including delivery drivers encountering discrimination and domestic conflict, without marking them as fictional. The administration stated that all violators were dealt with according to regulations.

The cyberspace authorities have added that they are issuing guidance for platforms on integrating content labeling as a mandatory step in short-video publishing. They have also urged self-media creators to voluntarily and accurately disclose sources to ensure a truthful and trustworthy online environment.