Overview

• China’s Cyberspace Administration launched a two-month nationwide campaign to curb hostile sentiment, defeatist narratives and sensational conspiracy theories online.
• On Sept. 23, the regulator summoned ByteDance’s Jinri Toutiao and Alibaba’s UCWeb, ordering rectification, issuing warnings and pledging to hold responsible staff to account.
• Earlier in September, Weibo, Kuaishou and Xiaohongshu were disciplined for content-management lapses, though authorities have not detailed the penalties.
• Inspections will focus on trending topics and algorithmic recommendations, with enforcement targeting doxxing tutorials, organized mass harassment, fabricated information and economic rumors.
• The push follows rising online negativity highlighted by youth subcultures such as “lying flat,” which analysts link to slowing growth and high youth unemployment.