China’s rules for ‘deepfakes’ to take effect from Jan. 10

SHANGHAI — China’s new rules for content providers that alter facial and voice data will take effect from Jan. 10, its cyberspace regulator said, as it looks to more tightly scrutinize so-called “deepfake” technology and services.

The regulations from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued late on Sunday provide for people to be protected from being impersonated without their consent by deepfakes — images that are virtually indistinguishable from the original, and easily used for manipulation or misinformation.

The CAC said the move was aimed at curbing risks that might arise from activities provided by such platforms that use deep learning or virtual reality to alter any online content, what the regulator calls “deep synthesis service providers”, and to also promote the industry’s healthy development.