China Cyberspace Regulator Orders Platforms to Clear Corporate Infringements

China's top internet regulator has issued a directive instructing digital platforms to take proactive responsibility for cleaning up content that infringes on the rights of enterprises and entrepreneurs. Issued by the Secretariat of the Cyberspace Administration of China, the notice details five primary categories of violations, ranging from personal data leaks to fabricated claims and coordinated commercial smear campaigns. Regulators emphasized a full-chain management approach that holds both hosting platforms and multi-channel network agencies accountable, aiming to reduce the legal burdens and reputational damage faced by businesses online.

The circular formalizes and standardizes definitions of corporate online infringement while shifting the compliance burden from reactive corporate defense to proactive platform moderation. By explicitly targeting search suggestions, recycled historical grievances, and multi-channel network (MCN) agencies, the policy establishes direct compliance risks and content-filtering obligations for domestic internet platforms and digital marketing operations.

China's central internet oversight body has instructed web platforms to proactively identify and remove content that infringes upon the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises and business owners, according to a regulatory notice released by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). The circular, issued by the CAC Secretariat and reported by state media including Xinhua, outlines a full-chain governance framework that requires digital platforms to bolster pre-publication screening, active patrol mechanisms, and post-publication remediation. Regulators noted that while online sentiment surrounding the business environment has generally improved, online corporate infringements continue to spread rapidly at low cost to offenders, leaving victimized enterprises struggling with lengthy, expensive, and evidence-gathering legal hurdles. To address these enforcement challenges, the directive defines five primary categories of illicit corporate-related content requiring immediate platform action. First, platforms must scrub unauthorized releases of entrepreneurs' personal identifying details—including national identity cards, passports, residential addresses, and contact numbers—alongside sensitive biometric, health, and financial data. Second, the rules prohibit insulting and defamatory content, including vulgar parodies of corporate trademarks, products, or executive likenesses. The third category targets impersonation, such as fake investigative reports disguised as authentic news outlets or accounts falsely claiming affiliation with targeted companies. Fourth, platforms must remediate misleading and fabricated information, explicitly covering quotes taken out of context, inaccurate search engine query associations and landing pages, previously debunked rumors, and statements that contradict official verified corporate disclosures on major platforms. Finally, the directive bans coordinated smear campaigns, dredging up settled negative historical news, platform-banned content reincarnated via alternate channels, and commentary generated by bot networks or paid water armies. The CAC instructed platforms to update their community rules and incorporate corporate infringement monitoring into day-to-day content moderation. The directive also explicitly mandates stronger oversight and rapid penalties targeting offending accounts and multi-channel network (MCN) organizations. Local cyberspace departments are tasked with territorial supervision, with regulators warning that platforms demonstrating insufficient compliance or generating concentrated user complaints will face penalties under the law.