On 29 November 2019 the Cyberspace Administration of China and two other departments jointly issued the Administrative Provisions on Online Audiovisual Information Services, which came into effect on 1 January 2020.(1)
The provisions require that online audiovisual information service providers must:
- acquire relevant qualifications required by law and regulations;
- adopt rules and policies in relation to, for example, user registration, information distribution and review, information security management, emergency disposal, educational training for employees, the protection of minors and IP rights protection;
- verify personal information submitted by users; and
- undertake technical and other necessary measures to ensure network security and stable operations.
The provisions also set out the following requirements for the creation, distribution and transmission of audio videos based on new technologies and applications such as deep learning and virtual reality:
- A security assessment should be conducted if online audiovisual information service providers launch a new audiovisual information service of a media nature or which contains a social media function.
- Prominent notification should be included if online audiovisual information service providers and users use new technologies such as virtual reality and deep learning to make, distribute or transmit computer-generated audiovisual information.
- Online audiovisual information service providers should deploy verification technology to distinguish illegal and computer-generated audio videos.
- Online audiovisual information service providers should establish a mechanism to refute fake rumours.
Endnotes
(1) Further details are available here.
This article was first published by the International Law Office, a premium online legal update service for major companies and law firms worldwide. Register for a free subscription.
