Morning Brief

1. China’s market regulator cracks down on misleading ads with “big claims and tiny disclaimers”
2. CCTV’s 3.15 Gala exposes “data poisoning” attacks on large AI models
3. PlayStation Store tests dynamic pricing, with different prices for different users
4. Adobe reaches settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over deceptive subscription cancellation practices
5. MacBook Neo rated the most repairable Apple laptop in 14 years
6. China approves its first brain–computer interface medical device
7. Other News Worth a Quick Look

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China’s market regulator cracks down on misleading ads with “big claims and tiny disclaimers”

On March 13, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued a notice titled Notice on Strengthening the Regulation of Prompting Language in Advertisements, launching a six-month campaign to clean up related advertising irregularities.

The notice requires:

• Cracking down on misleading “big headline, tiny disclaimer” advertising. Ads that use hard-to-read small text to indicate restrictions or unfavorable information will be targeted; in serious cases they may be classified as false advertising;
• Investigating cases where required prompting language is missing or intentionally weakened. Advertisements for pharmaceuticals, health supplements, and similar products must clearly display legally required warnings; AI-generated content must also be clearly labeled. Unauthorized use of another person’s likeness may be deemed false advertising;
• Investigating advertisements that use absolute language. Terms such as “No.1” or “Best” will be strictly scrutinized. If unclear industry scope definitions lead to consumer misunderstanding, such ads may be classified as false advertising;
• Strengthening oversight of cited claims and advertiser self-verification. Citations must indicate their sources; when advertisers use their own data as proof, timeframes, regions, and other limiting conditions must be clearly stated. Distorting data, presenting probabilistic conclusions as certainty, or omitting limiting conditions may all constitute false advertising;
• Enhancing supervision of major advertising distribution channels. Internet platforms and outdoor advertising publishers must fulfill their responsibilities and ensure that disclaimers and prompt information are prominently displayed in advertising designs.

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CCTV’s 3.15 Gala exposes “data poisoning” attacks on large AI models

On March 15, China Central Television’s annual “3.15 Consumer Rights Gala” exposed a black-market industry chain dedicated to “poisoning” AI large models and manipulating their outputs.

The report explains that GEO originally refers to marketing optimization for generative AI search results, similar to SEO during the traditional search engine era. However, some illicit service providers are exploiting Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) techniques to flood the internet with fake promotional articles. These articles interfere with how AI models gather and cross-validate information, allowing companies to manipulate AI outputs so that advertisements or fabricated claims appear as the “standard answers” recommended by AI to consumers.

During the program, industry insiders demonstrated the process. They randomly purchased a piece of software called the “Liqing GEO System” and fabricated a fictional smart wristband named Apollo9. The GEO software immediately generated promotional articles containing absurd claims such as “quantum entanglement sensors” and “black-hole-level battery life,” then automatically published them across multiple self-media accounts. Within two hours, major AI models had already scraped these posts. When users later asked for smart band recommendations, the AI repeated the fabricated promotional claims verbatim. After publishing additional fake product reviews generated by the GEO system, two AI services began recommending the wristband near the top of their responses within three days.

The report revealed that the growing demand for GEO services has led to the emergence of numerous companies and platforms specializing in mass content publishing. These operations handle bulk posting requests, automatically releasing hundreds of machine-generated spam articles every day and earning tens of yuan per article.

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PlayStation Store tests dynamic pricing, with different prices for different users

According to the PlayStation price tracking website PSprices, the PlayStation Store is conducting large-scale A/B testing of dynamic pricing. The testing has been quietly underway for more than four months and expanded in March to the United States—PlayStation’s largest market—covering over 70 regions worldwide across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, and involving more than 190 games. Japan is the only major market not included in the test.

The testing was discovered through analysis of backend API data. Under the dynamic pricing system, players are randomly divided into groups. Some selected users see exclusive discounted prices lower than the standard retail price when browsing the same game, with discounts reaching up to 27.8%. Games included in the dynamic pricing test range from popular third-party titles by major publishers such as 2K and Rockstar to key first-party releases including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, God of War: Ragnarök, and Helldivers 2.

Data released so far suggests that Sony has created multiple test groups targeting different markets and user segments to evaluate various discount levels. This personalized pricing has also appeared in specific promotional events. For example, during a recent sale, ordinary players saw a 25% discount for Helldivers 2, while some users in experimental groups were offered discounts as high as 56%.

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Adobe reaches settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over deceptive subscription cancellation practices

On March 14, Adobe agreed to pay a $75 million fine and provide $75 million worth of free services to affected users to settle a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that it concealed subscription cancellation penalties.

The lawsuit began in 2024, with the core dispute focusing on Adobe hiding expensive early termination fees within supplementary clauses or hyperlinks in user agreements. If users canceled an annual subscription plan midway, they could be charged 50% of the remaining subscription cost, often amounting to several hundred dollars. Adobe was also accused of creating complicated phone-based customer service processes that deliberately made cancellation more difficult. At the time, the Department of Justice argued that Adobe’s practices violated the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, which is intended to prevent deceptive billing practices in online services.

Under the settlement agreement, Adobe did not admit to any wrongdoing. The company has not yet clarified which users will qualify for the free service compensation or what form it will take, stating only that eligible users will receive notifications. Adobe also emphasized that it has improved its sales processes in recent years, making cancellation terms clearer at the time of purchase.

The settlement is also seen as another instance of the Trump administration scaling back consumer protection lawsuits initiated during the Biden era. Previously, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice reached settlements in major cases involving Amazon Prime subscriptions and Ticketmaster’s ticketing services.

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MacBook Neo rated the most repairable Apple laptop in 14 years

On March 13, iFixit released a teardown report for Apple’s budget laptop MacBook Neo, awarding it a repairability score of 6 out of 10 and calling it “the most repairable MacBook in 14 years.”

The teardown revealed significant changes to the internal design. The most notable update is the complete abandonment of Apple’s long-used glued-in battery, replaced instead with a battery tray secured by 18 screws. This design greatly reduces the difficulty and risk of battery replacement. The move is believed to prepare Apple for upcoming European Union regulations set to take effect in 2027, which will require batteries in portable devices to be replaceable. Tests also showed that the device no longer imposes software restrictions on non-original parts. After replacing components such as the display, battery, or even the Touch ID fingerprint module, users only need to run Apple’s official calibration software for proper compatibility, without triggering warnings about non-genuine parts.

Other internal components of the MacBook Neo also demonstrate a higher level of modular design. The USB-C ports and 3.5 mm headphone jack are separate modules, meaning they can be replaced individually without swapping out the entire motherboard. The disassembly process for the display antenna and hinges has also been significantly simplified. In the control area, the keyboard still requires removing 41 screws but has moved away from the previous riveted structure. Meanwhile, the trackpad has dropped its force-touch functionality, making it easier to repair and cheaper to replace.

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China approves its first brain–computer interface medical device

According to Bloomberg, on March 13 China’s National Medical Products Administration approved the country’s first commercial invasive brain–computer interface (BCI) product. The device was developed by Neuracle and is designed to help adult patients with partial paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries improve hand grasping ability by controlling a robotic glove with their thoughts.

The approved system integrates an implanted brain sensor, a robotic glove, signal decoding algorithms, and related medical software. It has previously been tested on 36 patients. Unlike devices such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which implant electrodes directly into the cerebral cortex, Neuracle’s sensor is placed outside the brain’s outermost membrane. This approach is relatively less invasive, but because it has fewer signal detection channels, the current system is limited to patients who still retain some upper-arm function. It cannot yet enable more advanced interactions, such as allowing fully paralyzed patients to browse the internet or play games.

Brain–computer interfaces have been identified as one of six strategic emerging industries in China’s latest five-year plan. Authorities have pledged to streamline regulatory approval processes and are already working on guidelines for potential medical insurance reimbursement. Following news of the first commercial product approval, shares of related companies—including Sanbo Brain Science, Innovational Medical, and Nanjing Panda Electronics—have all surged by more than 10%.

Investment and financing activity in the global brain–computer interface sector is also accelerating. Last week, another Chinese company competing in the Neuralink space, StairMed, completed a 500 million RMB funding round led by Alibaba and plans to conduct 40 additional human implant procedures this year. Chengdu-based Gestala, which is developing alternative BCI technologies, also announced a 150 million RMB seed round. In the United States, Science Corp recently raised $230 million to advance the commercialization of its implantable devices.

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Other News Worth a Quick Look

• On March 14, 360 held a launch event in Beijing, unveiling the so-called “360 Secure Lobster” client and the “360 Secure Lobster Box” hardware terminal, along with a security product called “360 Lobster Guardian” designed specifically to address OpenClaw security issues. 360 claims this is the first OpenClaw agent product in China designed around a “security mode.” The company also promoted the solution as addressing what it describes as the four major obstacles hindering OpenClaw adoption—“difficult installation, difficult maintenance, instability, and security risks.” According to 360, the Secure Lobster product line provides a comprehensive “fully prepared out-of-the-box, all-around protection” solution aimed at allowing ordinary users to benefit from the technology and achieve what it calls “Lobster freedom.” Zhou Hongyi personally helped install and deploy “360 Secure Lobster” for users at the company’s headquarters campus.
• According to The Information, ByteDance has paused the global release of its latest AI video generation model, Seedance 2.0, due to copyright disputes with major Hollywood studios. The model had originally been scheduled to open to global users in mid-March this year.
• Mark Gurman reports that:
  • Apple is deeply adapting iOS 27 for a foldable iPhone, introducing split-screen multitasking to the iPhone for the first time. Because the foldable panel must be purchased from Samsung at a high price, combined with a complex hinge mechanism and premium materials, the device will be very expensive;
  • Apple’s first smart home device with a 7-inch display, originally scheduled to launch in March this year, has been delayed to September due to ongoing development delays in the new version of Siri and related AI features;
  • Liquid Glass will not undergo major changes in iOS 27. Although Alan Dye, the vice president who led the design, left with several key team members for Meta late last year, the interface has been in development for years and is deeply integrated into Apple’s ecosystem. His successor Steve Lemay will focus primarily on optimization;
  • Apple will not consider equipping the MacBook Neo with high-end components such as touch displays within the next three years.