China: Cyberspace Administration removed over 8’700 illegal items and dealt with more than 11’000 impersonating accounts in investigation into use of AI to impersonate public figures for live-streaming marketing

On 14 November 2025, the Cyberspace Administration of China removed over 8’700 illegal items and dealt with more than 11’000 impersonating accounts in an investigation into the use of AI to impersonate public figures for live-streaming marketing. It stated that certain online accounts had used AI technology to imitate public figures in live streams and short videos to publish marketing information, misleading netizens, and engaging in false advertising and online infringement. It stated that it had severely punished illegal and non-compliant accounts, including “Department Store Supermarket”, “Nana’s Good Things Alliance”, and “Global Skincare and Makeup Selection”, and had instructed website platforms to issue governance announcements, learn from the cases, and conduct a centralised clean-up and rectification. It stated that the cyberspace administration would continue to strengthen platform responsibilities, maintain a high-pressure enforcement stance, and investigate, address, and expose malicious marketing accounts to maintain a healthy online environment.