The Cyberspace Administration of China ("CAC") recently revised and issued the Administrative Provisions on the Information Services Provided through Official Accounts of Internet Users (the "Provisions"), with effect from February 22, 2021.

The Provisions, consisting of 23 articles, are divided into five chapters, namely general provisions, platforms for the information services provided through official accounts, official account producers and operators, supervision and administration, and supplementary provisions. Among others, the Provisions require that platforms for the information services provided through official accounts shall perform their responsibilities, establish systems such as those for the hierarchical or classified management of official accounts, ecological governance, copyright protection, and credit evaluation, and improve administrative measures such as official account registration certification, qualification review, and publicity of official account registrants. The Provisions also propose that official account producers and operators shall fulfill their responsibilities as users, establish and improve content and account security review mechanisms, make more efforts to control the orientation, authenticity, and legality of the content, manage and operate accounts in accordance with laws and regulations, and attract the public to follow, subscribe and share official accounts with high-quality information and content, and shall not engage in illegal activities such as malicious registration of accounts, fabrication of false information, or trading of accounts.

(Source: Cyberspace Administration of China)