China Launches Campaign Against Fake Personas and AI Impersonation in Short Videos

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has launched a nationwide two-month campaign targeting fake personas and AI-synthesized impersonations across short-video platforms. The crackdown focuses on five core issues, including staged poverty videos, fabricated professional qualifications, unauthorized AI deepfakes of public figures, ostentatious wealth displays, and scripted social conflicts. This regulatory enforcement signals tightening control over synthetic media, algorithmic content distribution, and influencer marketing within China's digital economy. It directly impacts multi-channel networks (MCNs) and online platforms by holding them accountable for content authenticity and the misuse of generative AI technologies. Regulators will penalize MCN agencies that mass-produce fake personas across account networks and prohibit platforms from using standard disclaimers (e.g., 'AI-generated' or 'fictional') to evade content moderation duties. Additionally, platforms are strictly forbidden from boosting fake persona videos in recommendation feeds or official ranking lists.