Douyin, a Chinese popular short video app under Toutiao, and Chinese search engine Sogou were ordered on Wednesday to immediately take down illegal advertisements and carry out serious rectification.
The Beijing Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission and the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce talked with the two companies on Wednesday.
In the case of Douyin, the discussions involved publishing illegal advertisements on Sogou that discriminated against and insulted "heroic deeds and spirits."
Douyin hasn't fulfilled its responsibility to monitor its own advertisements and SoGou hasn't fulfilled its responsibility to examine the advertisements posted on its website, the authorities said.
These failures led to the online spread of illegal information and had a negative influence, said a statement on the official WeChat account of the Beijing Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission.
The behavior violated the Network Security Law, Heroes and Martyrs Protection Law as well as the Advertisement Law, according to the statement.
Taking effect in May 2018, the Heroes and Martyrs Protection Law bans activities that defame heroes and martyrs, or that seek to distort and diminish their deeds.
The two departments have started administrative procedures to file the case and conduct investigations.
