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Beijing sharpens focus on deepfake use, social audio apps as it pushes security review at Big Tech companies
- Group of 11 major internet firms has been asked to perform a sweeping security assessment of their apps and services
- China’s internet watchdog is closely monitoring the use of deepfake technology and social audio apps
Regulators are sharpening their focus on the use of deepfake technology and social audio apps in China, tightening Beijing’s grip on internet content, as they directed a group of Big Tech companies – including ByteDance, Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings – to conduct security reviews.
The instruction was given by internet watchdog the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the Public Security Bureau (PSB) during a recent meeting with 11 companies, which also included Xiaomi Corp, Kuaishou Technology and Inke, according to a statement by CAC on Thursday. It said the companies must submit the results of their review to the regulators.
CAC and PSB asked the firms to to review their apps, making sure those comply with the country’s Cybersecurity Law, and tell the government of their plans to add new services that offer a channel for public opinion or are capable of “inciting the public to engage in specific activities”.
Deepfakes refer to manipulated videos, or other digital representations produced by sophisticated artificial intelligence, that yield fabricated images and audio that appear to be real. It can be used, for example, to overlay images of celebrity faces on other peoples’ bodies, fooling viewers. In 2019, China issued new rules to clamp down on use of the technology.
Social audio was popularised by voice-chat app Clubhouse, which was blocked in China after the proliferation of online discussions about sensitive political topics like the Hong Kong protests.
Deepfakes have the potential to disrupt financial markets, not just fake your bank ID, experts say
Deepfakes have the potential to disrupt financial markets, not just fake your bank ID, experts say
Many of the companies summoned by CAC and PSB are known to be developing Clubhouse-like apps for the domestic market, such as an updated MiTalk service from smartphone giant Xiaomi and Duihuaba from live-streaming company Inke.
TikTok owner ByteDance, Tencent, Xiaomi, Kuaishou, Inke and Alibaba, the parent company of the South China Morning Post, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
The regulators’ action comes amid Beijing’s efforts to toughen internet censorship in the world’s second-largest economy. Chinese authorities have been tightening their grip on the internet in recent years, broadly censoring content it deems inappropriate, including pornography, gambling, fake news and political dissent.
Authorities are closely watching developments in the use of deepfake technology on the mainland, according to the CAC statement. That focus stems from the existence of apps like Quyan, translated as “go act” in Mandarin, which lets users swap their own faces with those from actors in a film clip. It is similar to Zao, a face-swapping app that went viral in China in 2019, which sparked concerns over how it stored and used facial data.
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