China has introduced a new measure to combat misinformation, requiring influencers sharing information on sensitive topics to hold a degree in that area.
The rule, which came into effect on 25 October under the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), is reportedly aimed at reducing online misinformation and protecting social media users from potentially harmful advice or guidance.
Influencers discussing subjects such as medicine, law, education, or finance must provide proof of their expertise, whether through a professional licence or degree. Platforms including Douyin (China’s version of TikTok), Bilibili, and Weibo are tasked with verifying these credentials.
The CAC has also banned advertising for medical products and services, such as health foods and supplements, in an effort to curb promotions disguised as educational content.
So you’re saying I can’t continue promoting dick pills that might cause people’s organs to boil? 
growing up in the dumbass soup of shithole america, i did not recognize how pervasive anti-intellectualism is here. i read some article maybe 10-15 years ago about the phenomenon from an outsiders perspective and it was eye opening.
authority to speak on a topic here is recognized as having access to a platform and an audience. rigorous study, demonstrated expertise, peer recognition are all easily handwaved away as belonging to a corrupted process, but having a single benefactor that can put your face or voice all over the landscape is treated as a mandate if enough people stop to look/listen.
and its been this way here apparently since the earliest days of carnival barking snake oil salesmen, confidence artists and ink-by-the-barrel printers pitching the latest magic cure-all.
people want to blame tiktok and facebook and podcasts, but these are just the latest tools. talk shows, talk radio, periodicals, pamphlets & papers played a similar role.
and, sadly, there are people out there looking for factual answers that totally exist, but have been indoctrinated by the powerful not to trust anything but how some voice of the spectacle makes them feel… while maintaining pure cynicism against anything that reeks of education.
it’s like that post about how somebody’s grandfather was immune to communist propaganda because they were illiterate.