Notice on Efforts Related to Further Strengthening Regulation of Online Information about Entertainment Celebrities

Promulgation Date: 2021-10-26
Title: Notice on Efforts Related to Further Strengthening Regulation of Online Information about Entertainment Celebrities
Document Number:
Expiration date: 
Promulgating Entities: Cybersecurity Administration
Source of text: http://www.cac.gov.cn/2021-11/22/c_1639177815325970.htm

Notice on Efforts Related to Further Strengthening Regulation of Online Information about Entertainment Celebrities

To all provincial, autonomous region, or directly governed municipality Party Committee Internet information offices, and the Party Committee internet information office of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

In recent years, the tendency to make everything entertainment and the phenomenon of vulgar hype have continued despite prohibitions; the negative cultures of traffic worship, abnormal aesthetics, and disorderly 'fandom' have assaulted mainstream values; and the content of some promotional information related to celebrities has not complied with norms; scandals and gossip, exposure of private details occupy headlines and lists of hot topics on website platforms, taking up a large number of resources on public platforms, and public feedback has been intense. The following notice is hereby given on relevant work measures in order to further regulate information on entertainment celebrities online and to create a positive, healthy, and uplifting online environment:

I. Strictly Control Content Orientation.

1. Strengthen positive guidance. Strengthen the guidance and management of online information about entertainment celebrities; the publication or transmission of online information about entertainment celebrities should obey laws and regulations, respect good public customs, adhere to the correct orientation of public opinion and values, carry forward the Core Socialist Values, and uphold healthy taste and quality.

2. Establish negative lists. Online information about entertainment celebrities must not include content that is clearly prohibited by laws and administrative regulations, must not advocate unhealthy values such as traffic worship, abnormal aesthetics, decadent entertainment, or glorifying wealth; must not vulgarly hype scandals or play up the intimate details of celebrities' emotional conflicts to grab attention; must not expose, buy, or sell personal private information such as celebrities' identities, home addresses, or travel information; must make bulk publications on celebrities and their works, conduct smear campaigns, or rig traffic and reviews; must not publish fabricated and untrue information on celebrities to misrepresents and discredit, create rumors or vilify; must not have comebacks or campaigns to restore celebrities that have violated laws or morality; and must not provoke fan groups to insult or attack each other or instigate or induce them to conduct excessive spending, illegal fundraising, irrational rating or voting, or other acts of support.

II. Regulate the Presentation of Information

Refine the categories of online information on entertainment celebrities, strengthen the management of key steps, and strictly regulate the presentation of information on entertainment celebrities online.

3. The performance and art works category specifically includes celebrity visual, musical, or variety art works and the publicity, clips, commentary, reviews, and so forth related to them; in principle, they are to be naturally broadcast, but must not be presented in the key sections provided for in article 11 of the Provisions on the Governance of the Online Information Content Ecosystem, and where celebrities personal identifiers are included, in principle only one item for a given celebrity can be presented at a given time in areas such as home pages and home screens, hot recommendations, hot search topics, and so forth.

4. The personal developments category specifically includes celebrities daily lives, travel movements, interests or hobbies, family members, and so forth, and in principle is not to be presented in the key sections provided for in article 11 of the Provisions on the Governance of the Online Information Content Ecosystem.

5. The commercial activity category specifically includes celebrity advertising endorsements, brand cooperation, business promotions, and so forth, and in principle are only to be presented in website platforms' advertisement positions, and should be labeled with the word 'advertisement' in a noticeable position.

6. The announcement category specifically includes celebrities rights protection, responses, clarifications, announcements, and so forth, and in principle are to be naturally broadcast, but in principle, only one piece of announcement information on a single celebrity regarding the same incident is to be presented during the same period of time in key sections provided for in article 11 of the Provisions on the Governance of the Online Information Content Ecosystem.

7. The public interest category specifically includes celebrities' participation in public interest activities, aid and assistance, positive energy publicity, and so forth, and in principle is to be naturally broadcast, but must be maliciously used to stir up hot topics for marketing hype.

8. The authoritative publication category specifically includes statements, responses, announcements, and public opinion oversight from state organs, mainstream media, industry associations, and so forth, and in principle, is to be naturally broadcast.

III. Strengthen Account Management

9. Regulate account names, profile images, and profiles. The names, profile images, and profiles of entertainment celebrities, management companies (studios), fan groups (supporter clubs), entertainment public accounts, and so forth, must not include express or implicit exposure of celebrities' privacy, must not contain information instigating mutual insult or battles to promote their favorites by putting down others; and it is strictly prohibited to indirectly publish information through means such as changing names, profile images, or profiles during prohibited periods.

10. Monitor and manage celebrity accounts by grade. Each platform should fully understand the base number of registered celebrity accounts, and conduct graded management of celebrity accounts based on the number of fans, transmission capacity, and credit appraisals, and make periodic filings with the internet information departments on relevant circumstances. Establish directories for key focus on each platform, and conduct real-time monitoring and dynamic early warnings for celebrity accounts that reach a certain number of fans or transmission capacity. Promptly employ measures to address celebrity accounts that publish information content that is biased, misleads the public, incites extreme emotions, etc. on hot, sensitive topics, and report to the competent departments.

11. Stricly manage the accounts of celebrities and artists that violate laws or go against morality. Employ joint disciplinary actions against celebrity artists who violate the laws or go against morals, unifying standards for the entire web, and strictly preventing celebrity artists who have violated laws or gone against morals from shifting positions and staging a comeback.

12. Strictly manage celebrity management company and fan group accounts. Strengthen vetting for the certification of celebrity management company (studio) accounts, with each management company, in principle, only able to register one account on each platform. Fan group (supporter club) accounts must be authorized or certified by a celebrity management company (studio), which is to take on responsibility for the routine maintenance, oversight, and management. Unauthorized individuals and organizations must not register celebrity fan group accounts.

13. Strictly address entertainment marketing accounts and the MCNs they belong to. Strictly address and punish entertainment public accounts that organize or mass publish fake scoops on celebrities, malicious smearing, support for one's favorites by belittling others, or other such information, or that rig traffic and ratings and maliciously hype for marketing. Based on the seriousness of the situation, have joint responsibility for other accounts under the banner of the MCN to which accounts that violate laws and regulations belong, employing measures such as muting, restricting searches, or restricting income from commercial promotions.

IV. Strengthen Monitoring and Handling of Public Sentiment

14. Establish monitoring and handling mechanisms. Website platforms should establish mechanisms for monitoring public sentiment about online information on entertainment celebrities to promptly discover and address emerging public sentiment hot spots such as revelations about celebrities' emotional disputes, revelations of celebrities being suspected of illegal and criminal activity, mass conflicts involving fans, and so forth. Leads involving online violence, provocation, and other such issues are to be promptly reported to the public security departments.

15. Strengthen guidance of public sentiment. Website platforms should re-verify the account entity identification for online public hot spots involving entertainment celebrities, and where there is no way to confirm the true identity of the account entity, clearly label it. At the same time, based on the nature of the public sentiment incidents, urge the celebrities to make public statements through official accounts, guiding fans to view it rationally, and preventing public sentiment from continuing to foment.

Each region should place a high degree of emphasis on strengthening efforts to regulate online information about entertainment celebrities, drafting detailed implementation plans in light of the rectification of out-of-control fandom, guiding and urging websites in the area to implement each measure and obtain real results.

Secretariat of the Cyberspace Administration of China

October 26, 2021