Cyberspace Administration of China

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) is the national internet content regulator and censor of the People's Republic of China. It operates as an institution directly under the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and serves as the executive arm of the CCP's Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission. The agency's roots go back to 2011, when the State Council established the State Internet Information Office (SIIO) as a subgroup of the State Council Information Office. In 2014, the SIIO was renamed in English as the Cyberspace Administration of China and became the executive arm of the newly formed Central Leading Group for Cybersecurity and Informatization, which was elevated to the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission in 2018. The CAC and the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission are "one institution with two names."

The CAC is central to the CCP's control over the Chinese internet. Its duties include issuing and enforcing rules on online content, regulating cybersecurity, data security, and privacy through rulemaking, administrative licensing, and punitive actions. The current director is Zhuang Rongwen, who also serves as a deputy head of the CCP's Publicity Department. The agency's reach extends to all internet platforms operating in China, from domestic giants like Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent to foreign firms such as Apple. Its first-ever cybersecurity review targeted ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing in July 2021, a move that sent shockwaves through global markets and underscored the CAC's regulatory unpredictability.

In 2026, the CAC has been exceptionally active. On July 3, it released a draft of the Measures for the Administration of Internet Information Services, described as the biggest rewrite of China's internet rulebook in 25 years. On July 15, it announced the filing of seven mobile-based generative AI services, including Apple Intelligence, marking Apple's entry into China's AI market with Alibaba and Baidu as partners. On July 29, it released a draft law targeting cyberbullying, including AI-enabled abuse. Most recently, it launched a cybersecurity probe into U.S. firm Palo Alto Networks amid escalating trade tensions. The agency also runs a reporting center that handled 759 counterfeit websites in the first half of 2026. [edit]