Major social media platforms in China ban offensive content and misinformation

Social media platforms WeChat and Weibo, along with short video streaming platform Douyin, have recently announced they will take down on content that makes fun of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, or spreads misinformation.

“Recently, the war between Russia and Ukraine has attracted global attention. The people of Ukraine suffering from gunfire have become the concern of global public opinion. Most netizens, including Chinese people, are deeply sympathetic to the sad sufferings of innocent civilians in the war, but some have made inappropriate and vulgar remarks such as “welcome Ukrainian beautiful girls to China” and “welcome Ukrainian guys to China” in a flirtatious tone,” according to a statement Cyberspace Administration of China released via its official WeChat account. 

In accordance with their community rules, Weibo has deleted 622 pieces of content that were found to be of malicious intent or promoting confrontation. 105 Weibo accounts have been banned for 30 days or have their Weibo credit deducted, depending on the extent of their posts or comments. 

Meanwhile, Douyin has deleted 6400 short videos and stopped 1620 live streams. Douyin also called for its users to report inappropriate content to the platform. 

Douyin users comments “Can we pick up wives there if we go now?” and “You can probably pick up three or four.” under a Ukraine related video

Inappropriate comments on Chinese social platforms have not only been met by a regulatory crackdown but also condemnation from other netizens. Chinese students studying in Ukraine and Chinese people who are living or even have built a family in Ukraine have spoken out against such content. For example, Douyin user @云飞&热尼娅, who lives in Russia with his wife and also have family members living in Ukraine have posted a video explaining how stressful it has been for his family. He also expressed his worries that if offensive comments made by Chinese netizens anger Ukrainian people, it could make the situation unsafe for Chinese people living in Ukraine.  

Douyin user @云飞&热尼娅 says the war is not a joke in their video.

The Russian Embassy has posted a statement regarding the Ukraine situation on Weibo. “Our goal is simple: to disarm and control the foreign forces used against the people of the Donbas and to stop neo-Nazism and its ideology,” says the statement. The post was met by overwhelming supportive comments. 

Meanwhile, the Ukraine Embassy has posted on Weibo yesterday saying it’s now open for international donations. “The National Bank of Ukraine announced the opening of a special fundraising account in order to resist armed Russian aggression and preserve the independent sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” says the Ukraine Embassy. The post was met by a mixture of support and criticism.

Photo by Giulia May on Unsplash