China’s top internet regulator has taken action against ByteDance-owned Jinri Toutiao and Alibaba’s UCWeb for failing to manage harmful content on their platforms, escalating Beijing’s latest crackdown on online content.
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced Tuesday that it summoned ByteDance’s Jinri Toutiao for a meeting, issued a warning, and ordered rectifications within a set deadline. Officials said the platform had allowed harmful material to appear on its trending search section, damaging the online ecosystem.
Authorities did not specify the exact nature of the content or the severity of punishments.
In a separate statement, the CAC said it would apply similar measures against Alibaba’s UCWeb. Regulators accused the platform of displaying “extremely sensitive and malicious” entries related to online violence and the privacy of minors.
Broader campaign to police content
The enforcement comes a day after the CAC launched a two-month campaign aimed at tackling what it described as “malicious incitement of conflict” and “negative outlooks on life such as world-weariness.”
The regulator listed specific issues it seeks to curb, including exploiting social controversies to stigmatise identity, region or gender, and promoting violence or harmful trends.
Earlier this month, the CAC penalised three other platforms—Weibo, Kuaishou and Xiaohongshu—for allegedly neglecting content management responsibilities. However, details of those punitive measures were not disclosed.
