Chinese media watchdog orders Toutiao and Kuaishou to remove inappropriate content

China’s media watchdog ordered news aggregator Jinri Toutiao and live-streaming app Kuaishou to clean up content on their platforms, just days after state media criticised both platforms for hosting misleading medical advertisements and inappropriate content. 

The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television (SAPPRFT) on Wednesday posted a statement to its official WeChat account, singling out both platforms for disregarding regulations and “disrupting order” in the online media and entertainment industry.

Toutiao and Kuaishou were ordered to remove content that was “vulgar, violent, gory, pornographic and harmful” from its sites, and they are banned from letting new users register while the platforms conduct checks on existing users.

The watchdog also called for both platforms to reduce the number of uploads and online broadcasts and prevent unaudited programmes from being broadcast. Management at both Toutiao and Kuaishou have also been called in for questioning and the internal teams responsible for reviewing and auditing content should also be investigated, the statement said.

The crackdown comes days after state media named and shamed Toutiao for publishing misleading and harmful online medical advertisements on its site, echoing the criticism levelled against internet search giant Baidu after a university student died seeking alternative treatments for cancer after seeing such medical advertisements from the company.