ByteDance’s short drama platform, Hongguo, has responded to allegations that the AI-generated series Peach Blossom Hairpin was involved in unauthorized facial likeness use. The platform said that after receiving a complaint, it conducted a 72-hour review and found that the producer failed to provide evidence of compliant use of the materials, determining the case to constitute a violation of platform rules and contractual obligations.
Hongguo subsequently removed the series in full and suspended the producer from uploading any new content for 15 days. The platform added that it will continue to strengthen its content review mechanisms, enhance technical capabilities, and improve authorization verification processes to protect rights holders and support a healthy industry ecosystem.
The controversy had previously drawn widespread attention after the series was found to have used an individual’s likeness without authorization to generate a negative character. [IThome, in Chinese]