The sunscreen review you trusted might have been a paid ad. The product test you relied on could have been designed to favor a single brand. And the watermelon video exposing a supposedly overpriced product may have been part of a smear campaign.

Under new rules announced this week, China is moving to clean up its booming online review industry.

Issued jointly by China’s cyberspace and market regulators, the rules target deceptive practices that have proliferated across social media platforms, where online reviews are an increasingly important source of information for consumers weighing what products to buy.

The move follows years of complaints about review accounts blurring the line between independent testing and advertising. Regulators have repeatedly warned about misleading reviews, while media investigations uncovered so-called “violent reviews” that rig product demonstrations to make promoted brands appear superior.

A 2023 survey by the China Consumers Association found that 55.7% of review accounts blurred the line between reviews and commercial promotion, while 35.7% were suspected of fabricating content.

One common tactic involves reviews that appear objective but function as marketing, also known as astroturfing. Some sunscreen reviewers, for example, lure potential buyers with seemingly neutral questions such as, “Does UPF 50+ clothing actually work?” only to evaluate a single brand’s product.

Other reviewers manipulate the testing process itself. A prominent example of a “violent review” on short-video platforms involved influencers claiming to conduct unbiased vacuum cleaner tests but secretly switching off competing products, replacing parts, or using counterfeit models to make their products appear to perform better.

The new rules require reviews containing shopping links to be labeled as advertisements and mandate disclosures when evaluations are based solely on personal experience. They also require standardized testing methods and place greater responsibility on platforms to monitor and remove misleading content.

“The new rules bridge the gap between the rapid growth of online reviews and the lag in legal regulation,” said Shanghai-based Zhang Shiwen, managing partner of Zhongkai & Partners law firm. They also provide a more practical framework for applying existing laws, including the Advertising Law and Anti-Unfair Competition Law, to the online review industry, she said.

Popular lifestyle app Xiaohongshu, known globally as RedNote, said Wednesday that it prohibits content that fabricates user experiences, invents product efficacy claims, or poses as professional endorsements. Violations can result in reduced visibility, content removal, or account bans, while serious cases may face legal action.

Han Chunyan, a partner at Jin Mao Law Firm, in Shanghai, said platforms that fail to address infringing content may face fines of up to 2 million yuan ($278,000), while creators who publish false or malicious reviews could face civil liability or penalties under the Anti-Unfair Competition Law.

Online reaction has been largely supportive, with many users saying stricter oversight is long overdue. “It’s about time this happened,” one user wrote on microblogging platform Weibo. “When companies conduct comparative tests for commercial gain, who knows how authentic the data really is? It easily turns into attacking one product while promoting another.” Some others worried the rules could make it harder for ordinary consumers to share their experiences.

Editor: Apurva.

(Header image: Freepik/Freepik/VCG)