China: Cyberspace Administration announced enforcement actions in investigation into online accounts spreading false, unlawful and defamatory information

On 2 July 2025, the Cyberspace Administration of China announced enforcement actions under the campaign titled Clear and Bright, Optimising the Business Network Environment – Rectifying the 'Black Mouths' of Enterprise-Related Networks. The campaign applied to online accounts and content creators who spread false information, defamed enterprises, impersonated companies, or unlawfully disclosed trade secrets across platforms including Douyin, WeChat, Xiaohongshu, and Sohu. It imposed obligations on websites and platforms to strengthen content management, swiftly remove illegal information, and shut down non-compliant accounts. Specific actions included closing accounts that fabricated falsehoods to damage corporate reputations, published negative false information to solicit business cooperation, hyped industry topics using fabricated claims, shared trade secrets, or impersonated corporate entities for commercial gain.