Market Manipulation

China’s Cyberspace Administration (CAC) launched a two-month nationwide campaign against corporate cyber smear activities, targeting organized defamation, extortion, market manipulation, and identity theft. Part of the 2025 “Clear and Bright” initiative, the crackdown addresses fabricated claims, “pay-to-delete” schemes, false financial narratives, and executive impersonation. The move reinforces oversight of China’s $1.5 trillion digital content moderation industry, responding to rising reputational costs (up to 9% of annual revenue for firms) and may accelerate AI-driven verification tools to enhance cybersecurity.