China cracks down on its influencers

IMAGE: TIME Magazine

After a several months disciplining so-called influencers, many of whom have been fined or have disappeared from public life, the Chinese government has published a series of eighteen rules and guidelines for this type of activity, including 31 explicitly defined activities, ranging from the celebrating luxury and extravagant lifestyles to financial schemes or the publication of content, including deep fakes, that distort or…