China Exposes Second Batch of Cases in Clean Web Crackdown

China’s top internet regulator on September 19 publicly exposed a second batch of typical cases from a special campaign targeting the malicious hyping of enterprise-related information, reporting that authorities had removed more than 1.56 million pieces of infringing content and handled over 26,000 non-compliant accounts during the effort.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) released the cases through its “Cyber China” WeChat account, with state-run Xinhua News republishing the notice. The campaign—formally titled “Clean Web · Optimizing the Business Network Environment — Special Campaign to Rectify Malicious Hype of Enterprise-Related Information”—is part of the broader 2026 “Clean Web” series of enforcement actions.

Four Categories of Violation

The four cases cited in the second batch illustrate the range of conduct regulators are targeting:

1. Extortion under the guise of coverage. Accounts including “观澜FinResearch” on Xiaohongshu, “康子” on Toutiao, “天天观C” on Weibo, and “天下G查” on Sohu posted false negative information about enterprises, then threatened to require business cooperation and payment of a so-called “publicity fee” when companies asked them to remove the false content. The accounts were closed.
2. Defamation after administrative penalty. Operators of accounts including “赵亦雷” on Douyin, “快快变小胖哥” on WeChat Video, and “周章” on Xiaohongshu refused to correct their behavior after being administratively penalized, continuing to post attacking and denigrating content about enterprise products while deliberately inciting consumer group opposition. Their accounts were closed.
3. Fabricated negative information at key moments. Accounts including “车市博览” on Toutiao, “1号车盟” on Bilibili, and “造车局” on Weibo repeatedly fabricated and spread false information about business difficulties and poor product quality around key nodes such as new product launches, smearing corporate image and reputation. Disposal measures were taken.
4. Rehashing old negative news. Accounts including “菜乡之剑” on Sina Weibo, “糊涂大师” on Toutiao, and “探索第一现场” on WeChat Video maliciously aggregated negative enterprise information, frequently hyped old news, and persistently talked down enterprise development prospects. Disposal measures were taken.

Campaign Framework and Legal Backing

The campaign was launched by the CAC on May 29, 2026, as a two-month nationwide action, according to the CCTV and People’s Daily reports on the launch notice. It set out four focus problem categories: malicious hype of enterprise-related information, defaming and smearing enterprises, seeking illegal benefits, and infringing entrepreneurs’ personal rights.

The launch notice explicitly flagged AI-generated false enterprise information as a target and called for strengthened management of AI-synthesized content and online product reviews. The legal foundation rests on the Private Economy Promotion Law, which stipulates that no individual or entity may use the internet to maliciously infringe—through insult or defamation—the personality rights of private economic organizations and their operators, and assigns network service providers statutory management duties.

A First Batch in August

The September release follows the CAC’s first batch of four typical cases, published on August 4, which included accounts posting false information to smear a car company, hyping negative enterprise news during key financial moments, running a multi-platform matrix to rehash old news and demand money for post deletion, and publishing fake product reviews, as reported by China News Service.

Analysis: Beyond Content Cleanup

The campaign reflects a deliberate linkage between China’s internet governance and its economic policy priorities. As Economic Daily noted, the crackdown on “cyber blackmouths” is framed as a means of protecting the private economy and stabilizing business expectations amid uncertain growth conditions.

Notably, the September release expands the stated scope to also address enterprises’ “involution-style” competition and accounts that incite consumer group opposition—signaling a policy concern that coordinated online attacks fuel destructive competition among firms. The 1.56 million figure covers the period since the campaign’s launch and was reported as a combined result across cyberspace authorities at all levels and major commercial platforms including Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Weibo, Toutiao, Bilibili, Sohu, and WeChat Video.

Commentators close to the official line have been careful to frame the effort as far from finished. A Southern Daily commentator wrote that “the unhealthy orientation of prioritizing traffic still exists; the interest chain for illegal profit-making has not been completely severed; malicious hype behaviors are constantly renewed and have become hidden and mutated; governance work has a long way to go.”

What to Watch

Two elements deserve attention going forward. First, the campaign’s two-month window ended in late July, yet the CAC has continued to publish typical cases into September—suggesting an open-ended or phased enforcement posture rather than a strictly time-bound action. Second, the campaign’s emphasis on AI-generated misinformation and platform accountability positions it within a wider regulatory push to govern AI content and algorithm-driven amplification across Chinese platforms.

The September release was reported exclusively through Chinese state and domestic outlets, all carrying substantially identical text sourced from the “Cyber China” WeChat account, and the underlying evidence behind the named accounts has not been independently published. No Western media coverage of the second batch was identified.