# platform regulation
Latest news and articles about platform regulation
Total: 12 articles found
China Pulls the Brakes on the Spring Festival ‘Red Envelope’ Arms Race
China’s market regulator summoned seven major internet platforms and released new anti‑monopoly compliance guidelines after a wave of large Spring Festival cash‑giveaway campaigns. Regulators warned against below‑cost subsidies, exclusive dealing and algorithmic collusion, signalling tighter scrutiny of promotional tactics and AI‑driven user acquisition.
Safe‑haven Surge and Regulatory Tightening: Gold Rallies as Tech Slips and Beijing Reins in Platform Lending
Gold and silver surged as investors skittishly rotated away from technology stocks amid heightened geopolitical rhetoric from Washington and mixed macro signals. In China, regulators tightened rules on platform‑linked consumer lending while the central bank reported continued credit growth, underscoring Beijing’s dual focus on innovation and financial stability.
Beijing Issues Antitrust Playbook for Platforms — ‘Choose‑One’ Exclusivity and Algorithmic Coordination Flagged as Key Risks
China’s market regulator has released a comprehensive antitrust compliance guide for internet platforms, targeting exclusivity (‘choose‑one’) practices, algorithmic coordination and other forms of dominance abuse. The non‑binding but detailed document presses platforms to institute robust risk assessment, algorithm audits and governance measures, signalling steadier and more technical antitrust enforcement ahead.
Chinese Cities Move to Curb ‘Involution’ in Food-Delivery Price Wars Ahead of Spring Festival
Several Chinese municipal market regulators have ordered food-delivery platforms to halt low-price, subsidy-driven “involution” ahead of the Spring Festival, banning predatory subsidies, ‘‘choose-one’’ exclusivity, data-based price discrimination and coercive promotional tactics. The measures aim to protect small merchants, restore market order during a high-demand period, and push platforms to shift from capital-driven growth to value creation.
China's Internet Regulators Purge 13,421 Accounts Over Unlabelled AI Content
China's internet regulators ordered platforms to remove accounts and content that published AI‑generated material without required labelling, leading to the handling of 13,421 accounts and the removal of over 543,000 items. The move reflects Beijing's broader strategy to regulate generative AI and to force platforms into active policing of synthetic content.
China’s Cyberspace Watchdogs Cracked Down on Unlabelled AI Deepfakes, Removing Hundreds of Thousands of Items
China’s internet regulator has removed over 543,000 pieces of AI-generated content and sanctioned 13,421 accounts for failing to label synthetic material. The enforcement targets fabricated human-interest videos, deepfakes impersonating public figures, grotesque edits of children’s characters, and marketplaces selling tools to strip AI labels.
China’s Market Pulse: From tighter gig-economy rules to ByteDance’s Seedream 5.0 and local stimulus for homebuyers
Chinese authorities moved to strengthen protections for gig workers and to regulate opaque consumer products, while local governments and firms deployed incentives and product launches to sustain demand. ByteDance rolled out Seedream 5.0 in a bid to deepen its AI creative stack as markets reacted with sectoral rotation and holiday cost pressures surfaced in retail logistics.
Beijing Pushes Tech Self‑Reliance as Markets React: Rare‑Earths Rally, Refinancing Reforms and Regulatory Tightening Shape the Week
China’s latest policy moves marry stronger support for science‑heavy firms — via refinancing reforms and public promotion of tech self‑reliance — with tougher oversight of platform conduct and consumer safety. A notable rise in rare‑earth prices and fresh corporate investment announcements highlight the economic stakes: supply chains and capital allocation will increasingly reflect Beijing’s strategic priorities.
EU Flags TikTok’s ‘Addictive’ Design, Threatens Billions in Fines and Forced UX Changes
The European Commission has preliminarily concluded that TikTok’s design features, including autoplay, recommendation systems and a gamified rewards scheme in TikTok Lite, foster addictive behaviour and violate the Digital Services Act. Brussels has proposed design remedies and warned of fines up to 6% of global turnover; TikTok rejects the findings and plans to challenge them. The dispute forms part of a broader global push to curb minors’ exposure to social platforms and tests the EU’s power to regulate product design.
China’s Tech Tightening: Kuaishou Hit with Rmb119m Fine as App-Store Blitzes and Supply Squeezes Reshape the Sector
Beijing’s Cyberspace Administration fined Kuaishou Rmb119.1 million for failures in curbing pornographic content, prompting an apology and a pledged overhaul of internal controls. The same day, Alibaba’s Qianwen app topped Apple’s free chart after an enormous milk‑tea giveaway, illustrating the collision between viral user‑acquisition tactics and intensifying regulatory and platform oversight.
China’s Platforms Tell on Restaurants: The End of ‘Underreported’ Revenues for Small Eateries
A June 2025 rule forcing internet platforms to report merchant transaction data, combined with China’s Gold Tax Phase IV, has enabled tax authorities to reconcile platform receipts with restaurants’ declared sales. Small eateries that historically underreported income through cash sales and shared food‑court licensing now face retroactive tax bills, forced licensing, and a surge in compliance costs. The policy aims to broaden the tax base and curb unhealthy price competition but risks short‑term closures and consolidation in the sector.
China Turns the Screws on Live‑Stream Commerce: Platforms to Bear Whole‑Chain Responsibility
China’s market regulator announced an escalation in live‑stream e‑commerce oversight, insisting platforms act as gatekeepers and promoting a ‘one case, three investigations’ enforcement model. The measures include tougher verification, a national platform standard, targeted inspections of counterfeit and deceptive practices, and new tools that can limit a streamer’s traffic or suspend broadcasts.