China’s internet regulators double down on regulation of short video and live streaming services

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country’s top internet regulator, has launched a campaign to clean up issues in short videos, live-streaming service and app algorithms.

CAC is targeting short video influencers and live-streaming sessions for spreading fake information, low taste content, reprimanding indecent and otherwise uncovered dress codes, bot traffic, naughty language used by some female and male live-streamers.

According to Sheng Ronghua, the deputy head of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the regulator will probe into third-party platforms that help influencers gain unreal traffic on short video apps through questionable methods.

CAC will also guide internet platforms to establish a computer program to monitor online violence, and block direct messages from unknown accounts.

Last year, China’s internet regulator cleaned up issues in short videos and live streaming service by shutting down 1.34 billion online accounts, blocking 7,200 influencers accounts and removing 2,160 apps.

In a statement, CAC said many livestreamers have used exaggerated or even false advertisement to boost product sales as they endorse third party products and service for a fee.

The move is the latest in a series of measures by the regulator to double down on regulation of the country’s flourishing “platform economy”, which includes livestreaming e-commerce platforms run by Alibaba’s Taobao, short video apps like Kuaishou and ByteDance’s Douyin, the domestic version of global hit TikTok.

Earlier this month, the regulator introduced a new set of regulation to ruin in the use of algorithms in apps operated by Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, aiming at addressing algorithmic discrimination, where products and services are priced differently for different online users.

Previously, CAC drafted rules to regulate the country’s booming livestreaming industry, strengthening scrutiny of live-streaming platform belonging to e-commerce giant such as Alibaba Group and JD.com

CAC required livestreamers to provide their real name identification to the livestreaming platform they contracted with. then the platforms will need to submit regular reports on livestreamers to local authorities.

Not only the livestreaming platforms will need to surprise the registration of each livestreaming, and livestreamers will be at least 16 years old to be qualified for the job unless they obtain consent from their legal guardian.

The requirement aimed at addressing problems faced by  teenagers in their internet use, including long-standing issues like “unsafe content” and lewd animes, as well the proliferation of “toxic” fan culture.