China tackles 'content intoxication'

China is introducing a new regulation that requires app operators using algorithms to dial down the ways in which these surface personal recommendations. 

When is it happening? 

The new regulation takes effect from March 1st 2022 and targets those algorithms used on apps to recommend what to read, watch, play and buy online, the South China Morning Post reports. 

What does it do? 

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) identified several specific issues the regulation will address: 

• Algorithmic discrimination – where some platforms differentiate pricing based on what they know about users’ spending habits.
• Content intoxication – where users are kept constantly engaged with material tailored to their interests or gamers are kept playing and spending money.
• Shaping public opinion – information recommendations may have the potential for “social mobilisation”; online news providers will now need a licence and are prohibited from publishing information that isn’t from a list of approved news sources. 

Key quote

“Tech companies that use personalised recommendation mechanisms, such as those operating food delivery, customised content distribution and e-commerce platforms, will experience the most impact from this new regulation” – Ding Mengdan, lawyer at Beijing Yingke (Hangzhou) law firm.

Sourced from South China Morning Post