Beijingg (PingWest)—China is stepping up scrutiny of the internet sector. Recently, 11 technology companies including Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, and Xiaomi were summoned by Chinese regulators for talks on the use of ‘deepfake’ technologies on their content platforms.

Deepfake technology is known for creating fake visual and audio content with powerful technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence

Cyberspace Administration of China said in a statement on Thursday that it and the public security ministry met with the companies to talk about “security assessments” and potential problems with deepfakes and audio social apps. 

The cyberspace administrator, together with other government agencies, will conduct on-spot inspection, urging internet companies to strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations, jointly safeguard internet transmission order and create a benign and healthy network ecosystem.

The companies were required to conduct safety assessments on their own and improve risk prevention and control mechanisms in accordance with laws. 

TikTok's domestic rival Kuaishou, NetEase Music and podcast platform Ximalaya also attended the meeting.