Recently, the Chinese social media platform Douyin notified content creators that it will no longer support the publishing of content related to social and political issues, finance, law, or healthcare. This decision has sparked dissatisfaction among the public. Analysts believe that this move could be part of a higher-level unified deployment aimed at maintaining political stability.
In a recent development, Douyin informed its users that it will no longer support accounts primarily focused on posting content related to social and political issues, finance, law, or healthcare, especially those with a large number of followers and significant influence. It has mandated these accounts to establish authorized relationships for content distribution. Any previously granted authorizations for such content will be gradually terminated starting from May 15, 2024.
According to a report by “The Paper,” a Douyin spokesperson responded to these claims by stating that the circulating restrictions on posting political, financial, legal, or medical content are “misinformation.” The adjustments mentioned involve the authorization of commercial material distribution and do not impact the creators’ other monetization or commercial capabilities.
The public’s reactions to Douyin’s announcement have been confused. Reporting from Radio Free Asia, Mr. Huang, a current affairs commentator from Guizhou, expressed on May 14 that Douyin’s response was filled with cunning and denial. The restrictions on posting political, financial, or legal information are “clear as day,” but after these topics sparked significant public interest, Douyin platform denied the restrictions, which Mr. Huang described as a typical case of “wanting the benefits of both worlds.”
The report stated that Douyin did not directly address whether users are allowed to repost content related to political, financial, legal, or medical topics.
Mr. Chang, a scholar from Inner Mongolia, criticized Douyin’s actions as blunt and using a one-size-fits-all censorship model for management.
Commentator Mr. Zhou noted that Douyin’s decision to introduce restrictions on political and financial content at this time is not to protect consumer interests but rather to make a strong statement, indicating that “this must have come from a higher-level unified deployment.” Mr. Huang mentioned earlier believes that Douyin’s actions are a direct response to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party’s network security regulatory department. Information security is seen by the CCP as a crucial factor affecting political security and regime stability.
In response to this situation, Chinese netizens expressed their dissatisfaction through various comments.
“Better to shut down Douyin altogether.”
“It should have been taken down long ago.”
“There’s too much toxic content on there.”
“Can the waters of the Yellow River be blocked?”