China’s internet censors target video viewers’ live comments
Shanghai authorities will crack down on danmu – the generally lighthearted remarks and emoji from web video surfers
Internet censors in China are targeting another pastime enjoyed by millions – the joy of making rubbish real-time comments while watching online videos.
For censors in Shanghai, such light-hearted comments – often no more than “hahaha” or a few emoji flashing for a few seconds – are too dangerous to be left unwatched.
Internet security authorities in Shanghai said on Tuesday they would step up oversight of the content published on video streaming sites, including live comments from viewers, which are known as danmu – meaning “barrage” or “bullet screen”.
The move reflects the increasingly intrusive and pre-emptive internet censorship on the mainland, as authorities get more assertive about controlling online information.
The decree, released by the internet security department of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, said that video websites hosted in the city had to set up a keyword database to filter out words that “violate laws and rules”. The sites also had to assign staff to review all online comments on videos in real time, and set up channels for online users to file complaints through.
The new rules come after the Shanghai police shut down more than a million live broadcasting accounts and checked the identities of 450,000 live broadcasting hosts.