China has introduced the toughest law for labeling content generated by artificial intelligence anywhere in the world, effective September 1, 2025. All major social media platforms and internet services, including WeChat, Douyin, Weibo, and RedNote, must now clearly tag any AI-generated text, image, audio, video, or virtual content before public release.
Explicit visual labels and hidden metadata are now mandatory, with service providers required to enforce pre-publication reviews and retain logs for half a year. Users and creators are strictly banned from removing or circumventing these markers.
Chinese authorities have announced significant penalties for violations, including account suspension and content removal.
How does China’s new labeling law actually work?
The law, jointly issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and three ministries, establishes a three-level system for synthetic content: confirmed, possible, or suspected AI.
Platforms must use detection algorithms to flag and tag content automatically or allow user self-declaration via upload tools. The system ensures that every piece of synthetic content has clear identification before going live.
All identifiable traces, whether explicit watermarks or metadata markers, must be present, and files must include production details. Community reporting features allow users to flag violations.
The regulation also prohibits malicious removal or concealment of identifiers and tools designed for such purposes.
Did you know?
Under China’s new law, all major platforms, including WeChat, Douyin, Weibo and RedNote, must label AI content before it goes live, and keep compliance logs for at least six months.
Why does China require both visible and hidden AI tags?
Visual labels such as watermarks alert casual viewers, while metadata ensures that crawlers, algorithms, and compliance monitors cannot miss synthetic origins.
This dual system aims to identify both individuals and automated detection systems, thereby reducing the risk of misinformation and fraud. Companies must update detection tools to match state-defined standards.
AI labeling duty falls not only on content creators but also on platform operators, app stores, and AI service providers. All must be able to demonstrate compliance if audited.
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How does China’s law compare with EU and US approaches?
The European Union’s AI Act, due in August 2026, will require machine-readable tags for synthetic media but is less prescriptive about visible watermarks and enforcement.
US companies often use voluntary systems; metadata watermarks and reporting tools exist, but there is no nationwide mandate.
China’s measures and methods go further: platforms must proactively tag, verify, and moderate content or face severe penalties. The system applies to every user, not just business accounts or commercial actors, a much broader scope than Western rules.
Will tough labeling rules change the global tech landscape?
China’s law is already prompting international tech players, especially those operating in or with China, to revise their own labeling tools and detection systems.
Legal experts expect other jurisdictions to follow in the years ahead, as misinformation and deepfakes challenge election security and media trust worldwide.
Global companies must navigate complex, multi-country rules or risk losing market access. China's framework sets a high standard for AI transparency, establishing visible and machine-readable labeling as the new standard for synthetic media worldwide.
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