China says live streaming poses a threat to public order, announces crackdown

A popular Panda.TV streamer shows off her drawing abilities, making it pretty clear that nobody is watching this stream for her drawing abilities. When this screenshot was taken, her stream had over 200,000 live viewers.

Live streaming platforms have exploded in China over the past year, giving rise to a whole new type of internet celebrity: the celebrity streamer. But China’s government isn’t too happy about new web celebrities like Papi Jiang, and on Wednesday Chinese state media outlet Xinhua published an editorial that announces a police crackdown on livestreaming sites.

In the piece, Xinhua acknowledges that streaming platforms have become a way for users to express themselves, but also says that people with “ulterior motives” are exploiting these platforms “using illegal methods for their own personal gain.” Streamers who broadcast erotic content, gambling, or violence, for example, are “challenging public morals,” “seriously damaging the internet environment,” and “endangering public order in society.”

Government officials can keep mistresses, but internet losers can’t watch a stream?

For that reason, Chinese police are launching a crackdown on livestreaming that will last at least through the end of October. During that time, police will check up on the security and censorship systems of streaming platforms, guide them in cleaning up and removing illegal content, close any accounts or channels found to be violating the law, and investigate any platforms that might also be breaking the law.

Live streaming sites have gained immense popularity in China. According to Xinhua, the country now has more than 300 active streaming sites and over 200 million users, including tens of millions of monthly active users on many of the larger platforms. The crackdown could pose some threat to these live streaming businesses, but as long as they comply with police directives, it’s not likely that any major streaming platform will be shut down.

In comments responding to the news of the crackdown, China’s internet users expressed quite a bit of skepticism and frustration at what many see as hypocritical morality enforcement. “Government officials can keep mistresses, but internet losers can’t watch a stream?” one user asked. “What qualifications does the Party of adultery have to investigate other people’s morals?” wondered another.

Still, others suggested that a little cleanup wouldn’t be a bad thing. “It really could use a bit of purifying,” wrote one user.