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04
Nov

When Expertise Becomes a Requirement: Lessons from China’s New Influencer Regulation

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Blog > When Expertise Becomes a Requirement: Lessons from China’s New Influencer Regulation

In late October 2025, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) rolled out a striking new regulation: influencers on major Chinese social-media platforms who wish to comment publicly on “serious” topics — such as finance, law, education or health/medicine — will now be required to hold relevant credentials (degrees, licences or certifications) and to submit those credentials for verification by the platform.

Platforms such as Douyin (China’s version of TikTok), Weibo, and Bilibili have been tasked with verifying creators’ qualifications and ensuring that content labelled as professional guidance or commentary comes from formally credentialled sources.

According to regulators, the goal is to curb the spread of misinformation, amateur “expertise”, unverified claims, and to protect audiences that may be highly vulnerable to poor advice.

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Why this matters?

This story is not just about Chinese content-regulation; it has broader relevance to anyone working in the fields of communication, education, business, or media — in short, to many of us at SSBM Geneva. Several lessons stand out:

  • Credibility matters. What China’s regulation is doing, in effect, is formalising a minimal standard: if you speak on regulated subjects, you must qualify to speak.
  • Expertise vs. popularity. China’s move suggests a pushback: popularity alone is not enough when the stakes are high (health, law, finance). For our students and alumni who aim to lead in business or management, this serves as a reminder: building reach is good, but grounding it in expertise gives it staying power.
  • Responsibility and accountability. With influence comes responsibility. Regulators in China now place part of that on platforms (to verify credentials) and also on individuals (to be qualified). In our programmes at SSBM Geneva, we emphasise corporate responsibility, ethics, and reputation — this regulatory shift echoes those themes.
  • Global ripple effects. This regulation raises questions worldwide: Will other jurisdictions follow? Will audiences demand higher transparency about who is speaking and why? For business professionals and communicators educated and formed at SSBM Geneva, this is an opportunity to lead by example — to promote transparency and ethical credibility.

Privacy and personal data considerations

China’s new regulation also raises important questions about privacy and the handling of personal information. Influencers are now required to submit detailed credentials — degrees, licenses, or certifications — to platforms for verification. This creates a digital footprint of sensitive professional data that must be stored, processed, and protected by the platforms. How this information is managed, who can access it, and how long it is retained are key concerns. For audiences and creators alike, it highlights a broader tension in the digital age: ensuring credibility and accountability while also safeguarding personal data. For business leaders and communicators, it’s a reminder that transparency must be balanced with privacy — a principle that extends far beyond China’s borders.

What does this mean for SSBM Geneva students and alumni?

At SSBM Geneva, our mission is to educate business leaders who are not only ambitious but also grounded in sound management, ethical decision-making, and global awareness. In light of what’s happening in China:

  • Are you speaking about topics you are qualified for? Are you ready to substantiate your claims with evidence, credentials, and citations?
  • Think of your voice as a professional tool. The rule in China might be strict, but the underlying idea applies everywhere: expertise plus credibility wins.
  • Organisations increasingly prefer working with credible sources, especially in areas such as consulting, advisory services, education, finance, or health. Your SSBM Geneva qualification helps you stand out as credible — not just loud.
  • Whether you enter multinational business, entrepreneurship, consulting, or NGOs, the governance of public discourse will matter. Being aware of global shifts like this one in China equips you to navigate evolving standards of influence, communication, and ethics.

The “no degree, no discussion” regulation in China may seem drastic, but it highlights a universal tension: how do we reconcile open access to voice with a demand for expertise and accountability? At SSBM Geneva we prepare professionals who can engage both meaningfully and responsibly.
Being credible, transparent, and competent matters now more than ever in a world where everyone can publish—and where audiences are increasingly savvy (and sceptical).

In that sense, this new regulation is not just specific to China — it is a global reminder to all voices in the digital age to make their credentials, background, and claims count.

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