Shanghai Authorities Crack Down on Auto-Related Social Media Accounts, Ban Misleading Consumers and Malicious Traffic Diversion

On July 30, the Cyberspace Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal Committee, in collaboration with the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, and the Cybersecurity Corps of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau, convened a special meeting to provide compliance guidance to a group of automotive-focused self-media accounts. These accounts each have over five million followers, cover upstream and downstream segments of the automotive industry, and wield significant influence. This initiative is part of a targeted campaign to regulate online information dissemination in the automotive sector, based on routine inspections and tips from netizens. The meeting emphasized that Shanghai’s automotive industry is currently at a critical juncture of electrification and intelligent transformation. Regulating online information dissemination is essential to safeguarding the healthy development of the industry and protecting consumer rights, while also promoting orderly growth within the self-media sector itself. The involved self-media outlets must strictly comply with relevant laws, regulations, and industry guidelines, including the Cybersecurity Law, the Provisions on Ecological Governance of Online Information Content, the Code of Conduct for Online Evaluation Activities, and the Compliance Guidelines for Pricing Practices in the Automotive Industry. Specific requirements include: refraining from publishing content that deliberately disparages the market, distorts policy interpretations, engages in unauthorized marketing or traffic diversion, or incites irrational consumer维权 (rights protection); avoiding misleading consumers through fabricated facts or undisclosed commercial collaborations in online evaluations; and prohibiting the use of sensational, clickbait headlines—such as those mismatched with content or containing exaggerated claims—to drive traffic and monetize maliciously. Representatives of the participating self-media platforms pledged to enhance their understanding of relevant laws and regulations, conduct thorough self-inspections against the outlined requirements, and ensure their content and operations remain lawful and compliant. Moving forward, relevant authorities will intensify enforcement efforts to further purify the online discourse environment in the automotive sector and encourage the public to report violations through dedicated reporting channels.