‘China’s Twitch’ Huya bans live streaming of passengers by ride-hailing drivers after public backlash

Huya, China’s answer to the game-streaming site Twitch, has banned the live streaming of passengers by private-hire car drivers after a public backlash over posts by at least two users in the wake of a safety crisis involving ride-hailing apps.

“Drivers are banned from live streaming any interaction with passengers such as prying into their privacy or endangering safety while driving,” New York-listed Huya said on its official Weibo social media account on Wednesday. The ban extends to private meetings with passengers outside the car.

Huya said the decision is in line with its responsibility to ensure “healthy content, defend core values and provide high-quality live streaming experience”. Any violation would face severe punishment and be reported to supervisory departments, the Guangzhou-based company said.

The ban came after the Beijing Youth Daily reported Huya users had live streamed their in-car conversations with passengers, apparently without their knowledge. The posts attracted widespread criticism online, coming days after a Didi driver confessed to killing his female passenger, which had sparked a nationwide debate over the safety of ride-hailing platforms.

A review of public court records by the South China Morning Post showed Didi drivers were convicted in at least a dozen sexual assault cases in the past three-and-a-half years.

In the Huya posts in question, one live streaming host who identified himself as a driver for DiDa Chuxing (not to be confused with Didi) showed the profile photos of female fares and asked his viewers which one to pick. When he subsequently picked up the passenger, he stopped interacting with his live streaming viewers but did not tell her that she was being live streamed.