Livestream Service Providers Must Register at Local Cyber Administration Offices

Livestreaming companies, including commercial or news platforms that provide livestreaming services, must register with the local cyber administration offices from July 15, the Cyber Administration of China (CAC) said on its website Wednesday, adding that those who fail to register on time will be punished. 

The government has enacted several laws and regulations since 2016, including a regulation on Internet livestreaming services that was enacted in December 2016, in order to regulate the livestreaming industry.

However, some live-broadcasters still broadcasted illegal content, which include vulgarity, violence and superstition, in order to gain attention, said the CAC, noting that these contents contaminated the cyber environment and had a negative effect on teenagers. 

In April, Jinri Toutiao, or "Today's Headlines," one of the most popular mobile news applications in China which claims to have more than 63 million readers per day, was found to be regularly sharing eye-catching photos of sexy girls that were linked to a live-broadcasting platform named Huoshan Zhibo, which was later found to contain pornographic content, reported China Central Television.

A total of 73 livestreaming platforms have been shut down this year because of broadcasting illegal content through joint efforts of the CAC, Ministry of Public Security and other government bodies, said the administration. Moreover, it said that 38,179 livestreaming accounts were banned and up to 50 million unhealthy comments left under these live-broadcast programs were deleted. 

This article was originially published in the Global Times.