China now requires influencers to hold a degree in the topics they discuss
China has announced new regulations requiring online influencers and content creators to hold verifiable professional qualifications such as university degrees, professional licences or recognised certifications if they intend to discuss certain sensitive or “professional” topics.
According to the rules issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and other regulators, anyone creating content on subjects like medicine, law, education or finance must submit proof of relevant credentials to the platform they use, and that platform must verify these credentials before allowing the content.
The regulations also place new responsibilities on major platforms such as Douyin, Weibo and Bilibili to monitor the credentials of creators, ensure content includes clear citations and disclaimers, and impose fines potentially up to 100,000 yuan for non-compliance.
The initiative is framed as part of China’s effort to tackle online misinformation and safeguard public-welfare topics from unqualified advice. However, observers note that the regulation also serves to expand state oversight of online discourse and maintain tighter control over who can publicly speak as an “expert.”
