The new rules are due to take effect on March 1st, and also call for tighter management of accounts, sign-ups, moderation and “rumors.”

Governments have lately stepped up attempts to regulate algorithms, although China’s approach is very different than that from other countries. A recent US Senate bill aimed to eliminate bias in algorithms, but China is explicitly advocating bias — it sees this automated code as a vehicle for the party agenda. The country is clearly concerned that recommendation engines could suggest ‘dangerous’ material that censors might otherwise catch, and it doesn’t want to take any chances.