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| China increases scrutiny over deepfakes technology |
Chinese regulators recently asked eleven domestic tech companies, including Alibaba Group, Tencent, ByteDance, and Xiaomi to discuss the use of deepfakes technology on their content platforms and take a closer look at the industry.
China's cybersecurity regulator has asked several of the country's large technology companies for responses to address the growing threat of fake multimedia content and strengthen Internet service security management.
The Chinese cyberspace official said in a statement on Thursday that he and the Ministry of Public Security have met with the company to discuss security assessments and potential issues with deepfakes technology and social voice applications.
The China Cyberspace Administration said in a translated statement that it had raised concerns about the risks of using deepfakes technology on various content platforms in the country and discussed ways to improve prevention risks.
The China Cyberspace Administration recommends that local cybersecurity and information services and public safety agencies intensify inspections and encourage domestic Internet companies to comply with applicable regulations.
Deep fake technology uses artificial intelligence to create a surreal but fake video or audio clip that tricks people into saying or doing things they haven't.
Due to concerns about monopolistic behavior and potential consumer rights violations, China has stepped up its censorship of internet giants in recent months.
The statement also stated that the regulators have also asked the company to conduct a safety assessment itself and inform the government if it is considering adding new jobs or information services that could have an impact on community mobilization.
Since the US ban on chat services in China in early February, pirated copies of the Chinese voice app Clubhouse have increased.
Club sales time in China is very short and attracts many users. They discussed sensitive issues such as the detention center in Xinjiang and Hong Kong's independence before it was closed by the relevant authorities.
Reuters reported earlier this month that ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, is one of several companies developing club-like apps for the Chinese market.
Other new products include Kuaishou's Feichuan Invitational app and Xiaomi's redesign of the Mi Talk app as a dedicated voice-only service for professional calls.