China targets AI deepfakes in live-streams
Online platforms have been instructed to conduct comprehensive clean-ups and strengthen oversight mechanisms.
China’s cyberspace regulator has launched a new enforcement campaign targeting the use of AI-generated deepfakes to impersonate public figures in live-streaming e-commerce. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced on 14 November that it had taken action against online accounts using synthetic celebrity likenesses to promote products, describing the practice as misleading and infringing on individuals’ rights.
According to the CAC, authorities have already removed more than 8,700 pieces of non-compliant content and addressed over 11,000 accounts engaged in impersonation across live streams and short-video platforms. The regulator stated that these AI-generated replicas were being deployed to create false endorsements and artificially inflate the commercial appeal of products, often without users realising they were watching fabricated content.
Online platforms have been instructed to conduct comprehensive clean-ups and strengthen oversight mechanisms. The CAC said it would maintain a high-pressure regulatory stance, continue holding platforms responsible for enforcement, and publicly expose accounts involved in malicious marketing. The move reflects China’s broader effort to control misuse of synthetic media, manage online commercial activity, and maintain what authorities describe as a positive digital environment.
