China shuts 4,500 accounts on live-streaming sites for disseminating obscene content

Over 4,000 accounts on live-streaming websites have been shut down in China for disseminating "obscene and vulgar content" since a new cyberspace regulation came into effect this month, state media reported.

Reports of violent, obscene and vulgar content on live- streaming websites abound, Xinhua news agency reported late yesterday.

In November, the Cyberspace Administration of China published a regulation that bans the use of live-streams to undermine national security, destabilise society, disturb social order, infringe upon others' rights and interests, and disseminate inappropriate content, including pornography.

According to the regulation, service providers are obliged to censor content before releasing it and are instructed to establish a system that would allow them to block improper live streams immediately.

So far, more than 4,500 accounts on the Beijing-based websites were closed and more than 3,100 illegal live streaming programs have been removed, according to Beijing's cyberspace administration.

Administration officials said they will enhance regulation efforts to "safeguard order in the Internet industry." They also called on the public to join in supervision.

The new regulation on live streaming also make it compulsory for presenters to register with their real names.

Despite periodic restrictions, China's social media being used by millions of Chinese through their mobile phones has emerged as an alternative media challenging the monopoly on the official media.

With the advent of 4G and China bracing for 5G, live- streaming events and incidents of public interest has become common among the net users. The new regulation was expected to regulate the content specially the spread of pornography.

In May, a new regulation stipulated that live-streaming sites must monitor all their output round-the-clock to weed- out "erotic" and "suggestive" content by live-streamers like banana-eating, a report in New Express Daily said.

It is not just fruit that's on their radar though but also wearing stockings and suspenders while hosting a live-stream is now also forbidden, the paper said.

While embracing internet revolution, specially for development of e-commerce, China closely regulate the social media on the net with firewalls blocking to references to controversial events and individuals.