JAKARTA - Chinese state media has revealed coordinated online defamation activities targeting the new energy vehicle industry. This practice involves the spread of disinformation, planned attacks, to reputation manipulation that has a wide impact on car manufacturers, automotive commentators, and ordinary consumers.
The disclosure reflects the regulator's increasing scrutiny of inappropriate behavior in the digital space, amid increasingly fierce competition in China's automotive market. According to a report by China Central Television, dangerous online activities in the new energy vehicle sector have gone beyond inter-company conflicts.
Attacks also target individual vehicle owners, some of whom have been harassed simply because of their choice of car brand. The report said the attacks occurred on various digital platforms to offline interactions, showing the social impact of an organized disinformation campaign.
The results of the investigation found that a number of influential automotive commentators used their online reach to spread misleading information and damage the company's reputation.
An automotive influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers was even found guilty by the court for defamation. The influencer was required to make a public apology and pay compensation.
Authorities also noted that some of the accounts that had been blocked reappeared using new identities to avoid surveillance. State media also revealed that organized networks use artificial intelligence tools to produce large amounts of negative content.
The content was then disseminated through a simulation account to strengthen rumors quickly, especially ahead of the launch of a vehicle or a major industry agenda. The same investigation found that some content that claimed to be an objective automotive review actually misled consumers and distorted public opinion.
In a number of cases, thousands of negative-toned uploads appeared weeks before the official launch of the vehicle to the market, indicating the use of coordinated accounts and automated content creation. The report also mentions that some automotive influencers set a higher rate for negative promotional content than standard commercial uploads.
Online conflicts also involve car manufacturers, as reported by Carnewschina, Friday, January 30. Several companies are reported to use social media channels to spread negative information about competitors, while industry executives sometimes get involved in public disputes that complicate online discourse.
Previously, CarNewsChina also noted a number of court rulings that won car manufacturers in defamation cases by online content creators. In December 2025, the court ordered the removal of slanderous content, a public apology, and the payment of compensation of up to 2.0187 million yuan in a case involving BYD, Great Wall Motor, and Xpeng.
Meanwhile, in January 2026, a blogger was required to pay BYD 2.01 million yuan after being proven to have spread misleading claims regarding the fuel consumption of the Denza B5 SUV. Regulatory authorities have also tightened enforcement.
China's Cyberspace Administration has handled tens of thousands of corporate complaints and directed digital platforms to remove large amounts of defamatory content. Thousands of accounts have also been restricted or closed.
The Chinese government has also launched a joint campaign targeting false advertising, malicious defamation, and manipulation of online opinions. This campaign requires companies and platforms to improve practices that violate rules.
The revelation of the online slander network occurred amid the rapid expansion of the new energy vehicle market in China. In 2025, production and sales of this segment exceeded 16 million units, with a contribution of more than half of total domestic new vehicle sales.
The report confirms that authorities will continue to pursue enforcement measures to suppress disinformation and reputation attacks that disrupt the development of the new energy vehicle industry.
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