What happened in China In early April 2026, ByteDance's short drama platform Hongguo found itself at the centre of a dispute that would have been unthinkable five years ago: a complaint that an AI-generated drama series had used a real individual's facial likeness — without authorization — to portray a negative character. The series in question, Peach Blossom Hairpin, was pulled in full after Hongguo conducted a 72-hour review following the complaint. The platform found that the producer had failed to provide any evidence of compliant use of the materials involved. The producer was then suspended from uploading any new content for 15 days. This was not a vague policy statement or a public-relations response. It was a defined enforcement sequence: receive complaint, set review clock, demand evidence of consent, act on the finding, apply tiered penalty. From allegation to sanction in three days. ## How it works /…