WeChat Publishes List of "Indecent" Live Broadcasting Violations

On June 3rd, 2021, WeChat published the "Overview of Common Violations in Live Video Broadcasts in Channels" (translation by ShekouDaily provided below) in the Official Account of the WeChat Security Center. 

Publishers and broadcasters should take note to avoid being penalized as this is a very long and wide-ranging list including things like nose-picking, showing off tattoos and much more.

Any violation of the following content, may result in penalties on the live broadcast channel and the host in accordance with relevant national laws and regulations and the relevant provisions of the "WeChat Video Account Live Broadcast Code of Conduct".

Additionally, WeChat has recently come out to some upgrades to its Parental Controls features that allow parents to control the type of content their children see, including official accounts, games, and mini-programs. Go to "Settings" > "Me" and choose "Parental Control Mode."

Once set, parents can restrict access to only official accounts they choose to follow and features such as "shaking," "people nearby," etc., are disabled. 

Overview of Common Violations in Live Video Broadcasts in Channels

| WeChat Team

This overview sorts out the more common violations on the platform based on actual violations found during daily security monitoring of live video broadcasts. Maintaining a healthy live video broadcasting environment requires everyone to work together. Please abide by the platform content specifications.

This overview is a dynamic document. The platform has the right to modify and update the content of this overview and platform operation specifications in accordance with relevant laws and regulations or operational needs. Broadcasters should keep an eye on the relevant specifications of the platform and avoid being punished by the platform for not following the specifications.

Common violations of live video broadcasts usually include the following categories:

1. Content that violates national laws, regulations and industry norms

including but not limited to:

1. It is forbidden to discuss politically sensitive content, endanger national security, leak state secrets, subvert state power, undermine national unity, and harm national honor and interests

2. It is forbidden to distort, vilify, blaspheme, deny the deeds and spirit of heroes and martyrs, insult, slander or otherwise infringe upon the names, portraits, reputation and honor of heroes and martyrs

3. It is forbidden to undermine national religious policies and promote cults and feudal superstitions

4. It is forbidden to promote terrorism, extremism or incitement to commit terrorist or extremist activities

5. It is forbidden to incite ethnic hatred, ethnic discrimination, and undermine ethnic unity

6. It is forbidden to spread violent, bloody, intimidating content

7. It is forbidden to spread obscenity, pornography, gambling, violence, murder, terror or abetting crime

8. It is forbidden to show contents involving state-controlled products and contraband products

9. It is forbidden to broadcast information about fundraising, online lending, cashing out, etc.

10. It is forbidden to publicize or promote gambling activities

11. It is forbidden to publicize or promote multilevel marketing (MLM) activities

12. It is forbidden to broadcast current affairs and social news content (except for accounts with relevant qualifications)

13. Individuals that have been banned or blacklisted are prohibited from broadcasting live

14. It is forbidden to disseminate other content that is prohibited by law and administrative regulations

2. Content Concerning Minors

including but not limited to:

1. It is forbidden to involve minors as anchors in live broadcasts

2. It is forbidden for minors to appear alone in the live broadcast without the company of an adult

3. It is forbidden to use minors to act as models, actors or spokespersons for live delivery of goods

4. It is forbidden to broadcast other related content related to the protection of minors

The following situations do not fall into the category of violations:

1. Children's group activities such as gala performances, school celebrations, entertainment events, etc.

2. Group scenes such as family communication and teaching

3. Negative Content that Violates Public Order, Customs, and Values

including but not limited to:

1. It is forbidden to guide or export bad values, including but not limited to: promoting incorrect views on marriage and love, domestic violence, pick-up artists, etc.

2. It is forbidden to live broadcast feudal superstitions, including but not limited to: predicting national fortunes, government policy trends, natural disasters, numerology, tarot card readings, fortune-telling, predicting the birth of boys and girls, watching feng shui; and other activities that violate natural science

3. It is forbidden to spread rumors and disrupt economic and social order

4. It is forbidden to destroy public property by live broadcast

5. It is forbidden to broadcast live funeral materials, funerals, coffins, tombstones, remains, etc.

6. It is forbidden to broadcast live in entertainment venues that are not suitable for minors to get involved (bars, Internet cafes, nightclubs, foot massage shops, etc.)

7. It is forbidden to broadcast live performances that endanger one's own safety and threaten life and health, such as self-harm, suicide, beating others, etc.

8. It is forbidden to live broadcast activities that harass others, such as molesting, focusing, teasing, secretly filming and other offensive behaviors without the permission of others

9. It is forbidden to ridicule or make inappropriate remarks about natural and man-made disasters, historical events, etc.

4. Vulgar Content

including but not limited to:

1. It is forbidden to perform vulgar performances or actions that are sexually provocative and sexually tempting, including but not limited to: simulated sex actions, rubbing the chest, rubbing the hips, seductive lips licking, repeated squatting, waist twisting, hip shaking, chest twisting, and buttocks movements

2. It is forbidden to make frequent actions that run the risk of exposure, including but not limited to: bending over to show the outline of the chest repeatedly; lifting the tops and hems of skirts

3. Vulgar pornographic games related to sexual parts are prohibited, including but not limited to: guessing the color of underwear, spanking, etc.

4. It is forbidden to focus on sensitive parts of the body, including but not limited to: chest, collarbone, buttocks, waist, thighs, etc.

5. It is forbidden to talk dirty, including but not limited to: speaking in a sexually suggestive way, speaking about sex-related skills, etc.

6. It is forbidden to engage in demeaning behavior including but not limited to: eating all kinds of uncomfortable items (such as socks, soot, living things, dead things, instant noodles soaked in foot washing water), etc.

7. It is forbidden to deliberately focus on animal sex activities

5. Malicious or non-compliant Marketing Content

including but not limited to:

1. In order to avoid malicious traffic and fraud, it is forbidden to leave contact information in the live broadcast cover, title and other places, including but not limited to: mobile phone number, WeChat ID, website, official account, QR code

2. It is forbidden to leave misleading information about geographic distance, location, and other language in the live broadcast cover, title, etc.

3. It is forbidden to induce users to trade privately

4. It is forbidden to make any stock recommendation

6. Infringing Content

including but not limited to:

1. It is forbidden to insult or slander others

2. It is prohibited to pirate or record movies, TV series, variety shows and other film and television resources without permission

3. It is forbidden to rebroadcast live content of other live broadcast platforms without permission

4. It is forbidden to rebroadcast large-scale events and programs (such as concerts, dramas, sports events) without permission

5. It is prohibited to pirate, record and broadcast the video teaching content of teaching materials without permission

6. It is forbidden to play other content that infringes the legal rights of others' copyright (copyright), trademark rights, patent rights, reputation rights, portrait rights, privacy rights, etc. without permission

7. Recording and Broadcasting Content

Recording and broadcasting means that there is no real person in front of the camera to live broadcast, but to play pre-recorded videos, including but not limited to: product introduction videos, event videos, advertisement clips, videos from other live broadcast platforms, etc. The platform prohibits the live broadcast of such content, with exceptions: occasionally interspersed playback of recorded videos during live broadcast.

8. Low-quality Content

including but not limited to:

1. Leaving a black screen up for a long time

2. Freezing the same or similar picture for a long time

3. Appearing in front of the camera while setting dials, clocks, and leaving the live broadcasts as unattended with no substantive content.

4. Broadcasting non-meaningful content such as live surveillance video or audio-visual video

5. Choosing a low definition thumbnail cover, or broadcasting blurred and low-definition quality for an extended period

9. Uncomfortable Content or Dangerous Content that Others May Imitate

including but not limited to:

1. It is forbidden to broadcast content that may easily cause sensory discomfort to others, including but not limited to:

(1) Purposefully making yourself look ugly

(2) Underwear is put on the head and other vulgar costumes

(3) Indecent actions such as nose picking

(4) Deliberately showing pictures of intensive phobias that make people psychologically uncomfortable

2. It is forbidden to broadcast live content of dangerous driving or high-risk actions that easily induce others to imitate, including but not limited to:

(1) Extreme sports such as bungee jumping, unprotected rock climbing, and high-rise parkour

(2) Sports that non-professionals are not allowed to do, such as paragliding, parachuting, diving, etc.

(3) Pranks and challenges that may harm oneself or others, such as: homemade popcorn in aluminum cans, cacti in palms, performances with dangerous objects such as lighters, knives, etc.

(4) Live broadcast during driving, even involving plots such as chasing and racing, drunk driving, severe overloading, or using violence against the driver, grabbing the steering wheel, etc. interfere with normal driving behavior

10. Indecent Live Broadcast Content

including but not limited to:

1. It is forbidden to conduct unhealthy live broadcast behaviors such as smoking, drinking, verbal abuse, etc.

2. It is forbidden to deliberately show off tattoos

3. It is forbidden to lie on the bed, lie on your stomach, lie on your side, or use bed sheets or quilts as props to broadcast live

11. Content that does not conform to platform specifications

including but not limited to:

1. It is forbidden to wear the following types of clothing for live broadcast:

(1) Work uniforms for the staff of the People's Republic of China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), including but not limited to the costumes and accessories of the staff of the public and procuratorate (industrial and commercial bureaus, procuratorates, courts), military police, customs, taxation, etc.

(2) Erotic uniforms, erotic underwear, revealing outfits, see-through outfits, flesh-colored tights, undergarments, half tube tops, fishnet stockings, suspenders, triangle shorts, or triangle-shaped shorts, low-rise shorts and other sexually suggestive clothing

2. Untidy and decent dressing is prohibited, such as:

(1) Men are topless or wearing only underwear

(2) Women's cleavage or upper body clothing; such as bras, are exposed

(3) Women's upper body clothing exposes the lower shoulder blades

(4) Women’s lower body pants or skirts are 2cm below the belly button

(5) Women's skirts or shorts are above the lower buttocks

(6) Women only wear underwear or bikinis

(7) Women wrapped in bed sheets or bath towels for live broadcast 

Sources: 

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