China's cyberspace regulators have issued draft rules on Friday for content providers that alter facial and voice data, the latest measure to crack down on deepfakes and promote Chinese socialist values.
According to documents published by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the rules are intended to regulate technologies such as those that use algorithms to generate and modify text, audio, images and videos.
Any platform that uses deep learning or virtual reality to alter any online content, the CAC calls deep synthesis service providers will be expected to respect social morality and ethics, adhere to the correct political direction. Regulations provide for people to be protected from being impersonated without their consent by deepfakes that are virtually indistinguishable from the original, and easily used for manipulation or misinformation.
Where a deep synthesis service provider provides significant editing functions for biometric information such as face and human voice, it will prompt the provider to notify and obtain the consent of the subject whose personal information is being edited, Article 12 of the draft says.
Fines between 10,000 and 100,000 yuan US $1,600 and US $16,000 can be issued for first-time offenders, but they can also lead to civil and criminal prosecutions.
The draft provides for a user complaints system and mechanisms to prevent fake information from being used to spread false information. The stores will have to remove or suspend providers of deep fake technology where necessary.
Deep synthesis services are also used by some criminals to produce, copy, publish, and disseminate illegal information, slander and degrade people's reputation, honour, as well as impersonating others' identities to commit fraud and other illegal acts, not only damaging the vital interests of the people, but even endangering national security and social stability, the draft rules say.
It is urgent to delineate '' red lines and '' bottom lines.