Chinese authorities on Thursday said they had summoned 11 tech companies including Tencent, Alibaba and TikTok owner ByteDance for talks on "deep fakes" and internet security, as regulators try to reel in the country's runaway digital sector.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said talks concerned "voice software that has yet to undergo safety assessment procedures", as well as the application of "deep fake" technology.

It also said companies should report to the government plans to add new functions that "have the ability to mobilise society".

China has in recent months taken a tough line on the country's fast-growing tech firms, with 12 companies hit with fines last week for allegedly flouting monopoly rules.

Authorities last year halted a record $34 billion initial public offering by Alibaba fintech subsidiary Ant Group.

They called in its billionaire founder Jack Ma and then opened an investigation into Alibaba business practices deemed anti-competitive.

The latest summoning of big tech also involves companies such as smartphone maker Xiaomi, TikTok rival Kuaishou, and music streaming service NetEase Cloud Music, the CAC said.

The aim is to ensure they comply with regulations, carry out safety assessments, and take "effective rectification measures" if potential hazards are found.

In 2019, China issued rules banning online video and audio providers from using artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality technologies to produce "fake news".

"Fake news" has been generalised to mean anything from a mistake to a parody or a deliberate misinterpretation of facts.

Regulations stress the dangers of "deep fakes", meaning technology that manipulates videos to appear genuine but depict events or speech that never happened.

The CAC notice comes shortly after China blocked the US invite-only audio app Clubhouse.

The app briefly flickered in the mainland before vanishing but has since sparked a number of copycats.

President Xi Jinping on Monday warned about risks surrounding "platform" companies -- a term that could refer to mobile and internet firms -- and called for greater oversight of the sector.

bys/apj/dan

Kuaishou

Tencent

Alibaba

Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

US moves toward banning more Chinese telecoms carriers: FCC
New York (AFP) March 18, 2021
Regulators have begun legal proceedings that could strip three Chinese state-owned telecommunications companies of their right to operate in the United States, officials said Wednesday, citing national security concerns. The three firms - China Unicom America, Pacific Networks, and ComNet - had failed to adequately prove their Americas operations were not subject to "undue influence" from Beijing, the Federal Communications Commission said. Commission officials voted 4-0 at a hearing to begin ... read more