Purifying the Online Environment Requires Breaking the “Information Cocoon”

To further deepen the comprehensive governance of internet service algorithm issues, the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and other departments recently jointly issued a notice, deploying a special campaign titled “Qinglang·Governance of Typical Algorithm Problems on Online Platforms.” [1]1 “Qinglang” (清朗) is a term used by Chinese authorities to denote a “clean and clear” online environment; it is the name of a series of campaigns targeting various online problems. The notice states that the special campaign focuses on concerns of netizens, with key efforts to rectify issues such as blindly pursuing profits to infringe on the rights and interests of workers in new forms of employment, and homogenized push notifications creating “information cocoons,” urging enterprises to conduct in-depth self-inspection and rectification, and further enhancing algorithm security capabilities.

为进一步深化互联网信息服务算法综合治理，中央网信办、工信部、公安部、国家市场监督管理总局等部门近日联合印发通知，部署开展“清朗·网络平台算法典型问题治理”专项行动。通知提出，专项行动聚焦网民关切，重点整治盲目追求利益侵害新就业形态劳动者权益、同质化推送营造“信息茧房”等重点问题，督促企业深入对照自查整改，进一步提升算法安全能力。

An “information cocoon” is a state in which users are surrounded by “customized” information online. Algorithms tailor a personalized information feed based on users’ browsing history, click preferences, and the like, so that users can only access the information they want to see. Over time, users become as if sealed inside a “cocoon.”

“信息茧房”是用户在网络上被“定制化”信息包围的状态。算法根据用户的浏览记录、点击偏好等，量身定制出一个信息流，使用户只能接触到自己想看的信息，久而久之，用户就如同被封闭在“茧”里。

The “information cocoon” has a negative impact on individuals, society, and even the nation that cannot be ignored. The “information cocoon” woven by algorithms creates an imbalance in information supply, limiting individual users’ access to information. Users cannot encounter different viewpoints or a broad world; their horizons and thinking gradually become narrow, forming cognitive biases, and they also find it difficult to generate innovative inspiration. The “information cocoon” restricts social exchange and progress, triggering many social contradictions, as information barriers make communication between different groups difficult. The “information cocoon” constrains thought, limits the collision of ideas, and not only hinders innovation and development for individuals and society but may even undermine social harmony and stability. More seriously, some lawbreakers use technical means to manipulate algorithm recommendations, carrying out illegal acts such as false advertising and traffic fraud. These acts not only harm public rights and interests but also destroy the fair competition environment of the market, further threatening the stable development of society. For example, recruitment platforms use algorithms to create employment anxiety, misleading job seekers’ career perceptions and development positioning, inducing them to pay high membership fees; lawbreakers spread false labor information through social platforms, creating “information cocoons,” and committing telecom fraud against job seekers.

“信息茧房”对个人、社会乃至国家会产生不可忽视的负面影响。算法编织的“信息茧房”造成信息供给不均衡，限制了个人用户的信息获取。用户无法接触到不同观点和广阔世界，视野和思维逐渐变得狭隘，形成认知偏差，也难以产生创新的灵感。“信息茧房”限制了社会交流和进步，引发许多社会矛盾，信息障碍使不同群体之间的交流变得困难。“信息茧房”束缚思想，限制思维火花碰撞，不仅阻碍个人和社会的创新与发展，甚至可能破坏社会和谐稳定。更为严重的是，一些不法分子利用技术手段，通过操纵算法推荐，实施虚假宣传、流量造假等违法行为。这些行为不仅损害公众权益，而且破坏了市场的公平竞争环境，进一步威胁社会的稳定发展。例如招聘平台通过算法制造就业焦虑，误导求职者的职业认知、发展定位等，诱导求职者缴纳高额会员费；不法分子通过社交平台散播虚假劳务信息，制造“信息茧房”，对求职者实施电信诈骗等。

Thus it can be seen that the “information cocoon” is a severe challenge faced in the information age. Only by legally and strictly cracking down on and rectifying it can we promote the diversity and openness of information, create a safe platform environment, and build a healthy, orderly, and pluralistic information environment.

由此可见，“信息茧房”是信息时代面临的一个严峻挑战，只有依法严厉打击整治，才能促进信息的多样性和开放性，创建安全的平台环境，构建一个健康、有序、多元的信息环境。

Legally and strictly cracking down on and rectifying the “information cocoon” requires strengthening government supervision and promoting legislation to regulate algorithms. Governments at all levels should improve the regulatory system, clarify regulatory responsibilities; strengthen regulatory intensity, possibly establishing specialized algorithm regulatory agencies or departments responsible for daily supervision and evaluation of algorithm applications; improve the algorithm review mechanism, conducting regular reviews and assessments of algorithms to ensure they meet ethical and legal standards. Further improve the construction of laws and regulations, possibly combining domestic and international trends in algorithm technology development and application to formulate specialized algorithm laws and regulations, clarifying the basic norms and standards for algorithm applications, specifying the basic principles that algorithm applications must follow, such as legality and compliance, fairness and justice, transparency and explainability, and embedding these throughout the entire lifecycle of algorithm design, development, application, and evaluation. Comprehensively protect users’ legitimate rights and interests in the process of using algorithm services, such as the right to privacy, the right to know, and the right to choose, and establish a complaint and reporting mechanism for algorithm infringement of user rights, providing convenience for users to defend their rights.

依法严厉打击整治“信息茧房”，需要加强政府监管，推动规范算法的立法工作。各级政府应完善监管体系，明确监管职责；强化监管力度，可建立专门的算法监管机构或部门，负责对算法应用进行日常监管和评估；健全算法审查机制，对算法进行定期审查和评估，确保其符合道德和法律标准。进一步完善法律法规建设，可结合国内外算法技术的发展趋势和应用情况，制定专门的算法法律法规，厘清算法应用的基本规范和标准，明确算法应用需要遵循的基本原则，如合法合规、公平公正、透明可解释等，将其贯穿于算法设计、开发、应用、评估等全生命周期。全面保护用户在使用算法服务过程中的合法权益，如隐私权、知情权、选择权等，并建立算法侵害用户权益的投诉举报机制，为用户维权提供便利。

Legally and strictly cracking down on and rectifying the “information cocoon” requires implementing platform responsibility, strengthening algorithm supervision, and improving algorithm transparency. Platforms, as the main carriers and users of algorithm applications, should earnestly implement relevant regulations, strengthen compliance operations, and clarify their own primary responsibility for algorithm security. Platforms should establish and improve an algorithm security management system, including organizational structure, division of responsibilities, risk assessment, security monitoring, etc., ensuring the orderly development of algorithm security work. Improve the transparency and credibility of algorithms by disclosing to users and the public the basic principles, operational logic, and output results of algorithms, accepting public supervision. In addition, platforms should optimize algorithm recommendation services, while ensuring personalization, pay attention to content diversity, possibly by introducing diversified data sources and algorithm models to ensure the richness and novelty of recommended content, significantly reducing the proportion of homogenized information push notifications, and preventing users from falling into “information cocoons.” For example, when recruitment platforms push information to job seekers, in addition to job postings, they could also push industry development prospect analyses, labor law popularization education, labor dispute arbitration cases, anti-recruitment fraud tips, etc.

依法严厉打击整治“信息茧房”，需要落实平台责任，加强算法监督，提高算法的透明度。平台作为算法应用的主要载体和使用方，应认真落实相关法规，加强合规经营，明确自身在算法安全方面的主体责任。平台应建立健全算法安全管理体系，包括组织架构、职责分工、风险评估、安全监控等，确保算法安全工作的有序开展。提高算法的透明性和可信度，可向用户和社会公开算法的基本原理、运行逻辑和输出结果，接受社会公共监督。此外，平台要优化算法推荐服务，在保证个性化的同时，注重内容的多样性，可通过引入多元化的数据源和算法模型，确保推荐内容的丰富性和新颖性，大幅降低同质化信息推送比例，避免用户陷入“信息茧房”。如招聘平台向求职者推送信息时，除了招聘岗位外，还可推送行业发展前景分析、劳动法规普法教育、劳动纠纷仲裁案例、防招聘诈骗技巧等。

Legally and strictly cracking down on and rectifying the “information cocoon” requires regulatory departments to strengthen cooperation with scientific research institutions, enhance algorithm supervision technology, and establish an “information cocoon” monitoring mechanism. To prevent algorithm abuse, it is necessary to use “magic” to defeat “magic.” Regulatory departments can cooperate with universities and scientific research institutions to jointly explore and develop intelligent algorithm supervision technology, monitoring and analyzing algorithm recommendation behavior in real time. Establish a comprehensive “information cocoon” monitoring mechanism, regularly monitoring and analyzing the information push notifications of internet platforms. Introduce artificial intelligence to learn and deconstruct algorithm mechanisms, quickly analyze real-time monitored data, identify potential risks and problems, and intervene immediately in algorithms and information content with security risks. For example, if monitoring finds that lawbreakers use “information cocoons” to lure users into “pig-butchering scams,” [2]2 “Pig-butchering scam” (杀猪盘) is a Chinese term for a type of long-term romance or investment fraud where the victim is metaphorically “fattened up” before being defrauded. measures such as blocking information links and protecting user bank accounts can be taken immediately. Establish an information feedback mechanism, collecting user feedback on recommendation results, and promptly suggesting that platforms optimize and adjust recommendation algorithm models to ensure the accuracy and diversity of recommendation results, improving user satisfaction. At the same time, promote the use of blockchain technology on major platforms, improve the application standards and scope of “digital watermarks,” ensuring the authenticity and traceability of information content.

依法严厉打击整治“信息茧房”，需要监管部门与科研机构加强合作，提升算法监管技术，建立“信息茧房”监测机制。为防范算法滥用，需要以“魔法”打败“魔法”，监管部门可与高校、科研机构合作，共同探索研发智能算法监管技术，实时监测和分析算法推荐行为。建立完善的“信息茧房”监测机制，定期对互联网平台的信息推送情况进行监测和分析。引入人工智能学习、拆解算法机制，对实时监测到的数据进行快速分析，识别潜在的风险和问题，对存在安全隐患的算法、信息内容，第一时间进行干预。例如，监测发现不法分子利用“信息茧房”，引诱用户掉入“杀猪盘”，可立即采取封禁信息链接、保护用户银行账号等措施。建立信息反馈机制，收集用户对推荐结果的反馈意见，及时建议平台优化调整推荐算法模型，确保推荐结果的准确性和多样性，提高用户满意度。同时，在各大平台推广使用区块链技术，完善“数字水印”的应用标准和范围，确保信息内容的真实性和可追溯性。

Legally and strictly cracking down on and rectifying the “information cocoon” requires strengthening public education and strictly cracking down on false news, rumors, and other untrue information. In the era of information explosion, the public is exposed to a large amount of information every day. However, not all information is true and reliable; some information may contain false content, misleading statements, or biases, and there is even no shortage of malicious inducements and inflammatory speech. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate the public’s critical thinking, cultivate the ability to tolerate heterogeneous information and discern truth from falsehood, and encourage netizens to think independently, not to be swayed by platform information. Through methods such as science popularization, guide the public to master the skills of obtaining true information from authoritative channels, learn to conduct in-depth analysis and evaluation of online information, judge its authenticity and reliability, and avoid being misled by false information. Guide the public to maintain a rational attitude when facing complex and diverse information, not blindly believing or rejecting any one side’s viewpoint, but thinking from multiple angles and making wise judgments. In addition, the spread of false information and rumors should be severely cracked down on, and individuals or organizations that spread false information should be punished according to law, increasing the cost of illegality to form a strong deterrent. At the same time, encourage public participation in information authenticity verification, using reporting mechanisms to make the public a powerful assistant in combating false information.

依法严厉打击整治“信息茧房”，需要加强公众教育，并严厉打击虚假新闻、谣言等不实信息。在信息爆炸的时代，公众每天都会接触到大量的信息，然而并非所有信息都是真实可靠的，有些信息可能包含虚假内容、误导性陈述或偏见，甚至不乏大量恶意诱导、煽动性言论。因此，需要培养公众的批判性思维，培养兼容异质信息和辨识真伪的能力，鼓励网友独立思考，不被平台信息所左右。可通过科普等方式引导公众掌握从权威渠道获知真实信息的技巧，学会对网络信息进行深入的分析和评估，判断其真实性和可靠性，避免被虚假信息误导。引导公众在面对繁杂多元信息时保持理性态度，不盲目相信或排斥某一方的观点，而是从多个角度思考问题，做出明智的判断。此外，应严厉打击传播虚假信息、谣言等行为，依法惩处散布虚假信息的个人或组织，提高违法成本，形成强大的震慑力。同时，鼓励公众参与信息真实性验证，通过举报机制，让公众成为打击虚假信息的有力助手。

Legally and strictly cracking down on and rectifying the “information cocoon” is a necessary measure to build a healthy, orderly, and pluralistic information environment. Breaking the “information cocoon,” purifying the online environment, and maintaining the authenticity and fairness of information also require the joint efforts of all sectors of society. Only in this way can we truly break down information barriers, build an open, inclusive, and truthful society in the digital age, allowing everyone to freely acquire knowledge and share viewpoints in the ocean of information, promoting the comprehensive progress of society.

依法严厉打击整治“信息茧房”是构建健康、有序、多元信息环境的必要措施。破除“信息茧房”，净化网络环境，维护信息的真实性和公正性，还需社会各界的共同努力。只有这样，我们才能真正打破信息壁垒，在数字时代构建一个开放、包容、真实的社会，让每个人都能在信息的海洋中自由地获取知识、分享观点，促进社会的全面进步。

(Author: He Shuxuan, Researcher at the Supreme People’s Court Applied Legal Research Base, Southwest University of Political Science and Law)

（作者：何姝萱，系西南政法大学最高人民法院应用法学研究基地研究员）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧