Well it’s official: I’m not moving to China. OK, I never had any plan to — I live so close to Shanghai Dumplings anyway — but their strict new regulations around what topic influencers are allowed to discuss on social media have me worried. How else are Chinese internet celebrities meant to earn their living spreading misinformation about vaccines, cryptocurrencies and erectile dysfunction pills? But even worse, I’m concerned that these kinds of laws will put me out of a job.

Last month, China passed legislation requiring that social media influencers have degrees or certifications before discussing any “serious” topics such as health, finance, and law, or else they’ll fall foul of the Cyberspace Administration. On the surface this seems like a reasonable step that could be replicated here.

Influencer Joe RoganCredit: AP

There is a tonne of misinformation out there. And the big tech companies that run the social media platforms don’t seem to have done much to curtail it. A video saying “the key to a healthy diet is balance” will never generate them the same revenue as a viral one titled: “I drank nothing but raw Mongoose........

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