China has rolled out a new law requiring influencers to prove their qualifications before posting about subjects such as finance, health, education or law in a move that officials describe as a fight against misinformation, but critics warn could stifle online freedom.

The new rule, which came into effect this week, mandates that online creators show proof of their expertise ¨C such as a degree or professional certification ¨C before discussing regulated topics.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said the regulation aims to curb false information and protect the public from misleading advice, according to local media.

Platforms such as Douyin (China¡¯s version of TikTok), Bilibili and Weibo must now verify influencers¡¯ credentials and ensure that posts include appropriate citations and disclaimers.

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Creators are also required to state clearly when information is sourced from studies or when AI-generated material has been used.

But critics argue that by limiting who can speak on certain issues, the state risks narrowing public debate and silencing independent voices.

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Theodore Jun Yoo, professor of history at Yonsei University in South Korea, said the move was ¡°not completely shocking¡± from an Asian perspective.

In his country, ¡°Koreans tend to value formal credentials highly¡­so the idea that only qualified people should discuss subjects like health or education online doesn¡¯t necessarily sound extreme. But there would still be concern about who decides what counts as ¡®qualified¡¯,¡± he said.

¡°In a society that¡¯s already feeling political and generational divides, especially between the sexes and between right and left, more regulation could easily be seen as another way to control public debate rather than protect truth,¡± he added.

¡°From an American point [of] view, though, this kind of policy runs right up against the idea of free speech,¡± he said.

¡°Americans generally believe anyone should be able to join the conversation, whether or not they have a degree¡­eople tend to follow influencers who tell them what they already believe, and algorithms reinforce that.

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¡°Influencer culture often rewards engagement over accuracy, and that¡¯s a problem not just in politics but also in how the public perceives expertise in general.¡±

Yoo added that universities and researchers ¡°shouldn¡¯t stay on the sidelines ¨C they need to communicate more openly and build trust in genuine, not performative, ways¡±.

¡°At the end of the day, whether it¡¯s China¡¯s regulation or the algorithm-driven chaos everywhere else, the issue is the same: can we protect the integrity of real knowledge online?¡±, he asked.

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Rituparna Patgiri, assistant professor of sociology at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, said she welcomed the regulation.

¡°It is a decision to regulate who can speak authoritatively online about topics linked to academic disciplines such as physics, law, or education,¡± she said.

Academic work ¨C particularly in the social sciences ¨C is often ¡°belittled¡±, Patgiri added, and the move was part of an attempt to reassert that formal qualifications represent rigour and hard work.

Patgiri said the rule could also help stem misinformation ¡°because influencers and content creators become viral quickly. Nobody bothers to check the scientific validity of what they say¡­it is imperative that one checks and regulates content through these qualifications¡­if we are looking at access to knowledge outside the university, it should be access to credible, verified knowledge and not misinformation.¡±

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¡°For the academic community looking to engage with wider publics beyond universities, this is in fact a welcome move. They can engage with the public through credible platforms and writing because they do possess the expertise to comment on specific issues.¡±

tash.mosheim@timeshighereducation.com