Cyberspace administration authorities strictly investigate and punish the use of AI technology to impersonate public figures.

Recently, in response to issues such as the use of AI technology to impersonate well-known public figures for fake product endorsements, attracting followers and diverting traffic, and misleading netizens, the cyberspace administration authorities urged website platforms to carry out intensive rectification, strictly investigated and dealt with illegal and non-compliant information and accounts, and have to date cleaned up more than 47,000 pieces of illegal and non-compliant information and dealt with 3,961 accounts. In order to further strengthen warning education, some typical cases investigated and dealt with are hereby notified as follows: 1. Unauthorized impersonation of public figures for product endorsements. WeChat accounts "**," "**," and "**8," Douyin accounts "**" and "S**," and Xiaohongshu accounts "**C" and "**" used AI technology without authorization to imitate the portraits of celebrities, synthesize celebrities' voices, or misappropriate portrait photos and image variants of public figures' family members for product promotion and traffic-driven sales. The relevant accounts have been dealt with in accordance with laws and regulations and contractual agreements. 2. Abuse of public figures' images to fabricate rumor information. WeChat accounts "**" and "**" misappropriated portrait photos of public figures and used AI special effects to fabricate rumor information such as public figures suffering from Alzheimer's disease, misleading the public. The relevant accounts have been dealt with in accordance with laws and regulations and contractual agreements. 3. Impersonation of public figures to induce users to follow. Douyin account "**," Xiaohongshu account "*," Bilibili account "**," and Kuaishou account "*" used AI technology to impersonate public figures, expressing opinions in the first person, recounting experiences, and posting emotional scripts to induce users to follow. The relevant accounts have been dealt with in accordance with laws and regulations and contractual agreements. 4. Production of vulgar content to spoof public figures. Kuaishou account "*" used AI to generate and synthesize images of well-known public figures participating in vulgar dances, intimate interactions, and other scenes, using them to attract followers, divert traffic, and seek marketing profits. The relevant accounts have been dealt with in accordance with laws and regulations and contractual agreements. For website platforms with prominent problems, the cyberspace administration authorities have investigated and dealt with them in accordance with the law and according to procedures. Next, they will continue to intensify rectification of issues such as the use of AI technology to impersonate well-known public figures, further the principal responsibilities of website platforms, take effective measures to prevent the abuse of AI technology, effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the vast number of netizens, and create a cleaner and more orderly online environment.