More govt agencies urged to supervise livestreaming

Internet regulators face difficulties in spotting irregularities in some sectors

Of the 10 major types of consumer complaints received last year by service platform Black Cat, the most common related to livestreaming platforms.

Most of the more than 70,000 livestreaming-related complaints involved counterfeits, fake advertising and exaggerating products' functions, Black Cat said on Tuesday, which was World Consumer Rights Day.

"Livestreaming as a new means of consumption has contributed to economic growth in recent years, but fake goods and data fraud have also been frequently discovered in this field, which harmed consumers' legitimate rights and caused disorder in cyberspace," said Wang Sixin, a professor of internet law at Communication University of China.

While lauding cyberspace departments' supervision of livestreaming activities, Wang said that more government agencies, such as those involved in industry and commerce, consumer rights protection and the busting of monopolies, should also play supervisory roles in combating irregularities in the industry and purifying the online environment.

The Cyberspace Administration of China said last year that livestreamers and operators must be at least 16 years old, and also required internet platforms to open channels for reporting violations and to establish blacklists to prevent violators restarting similar businesses.

Zhao Zhanling, a legal adviser for the Internet Society of China, said the tightened scrutiny is useful in regulating livestreaming platforms, but the industry would not have a bright future if it was monitored by just one authority.

He also called for stronger joint supervision, including by those responsible for market regulation, medical care and child protection, suggesting they share problematic content with each other and conduct more comprehensive inspections.

"It's difficult for internet regulators to distinguish irregularities in some specialized sectors, such as consumption or healthcare, as the staff members may not have knowledge in these fields," he said. "It's also hard for them to monitor the whole process of livestreaming and make sure particular content is appropriate.

"Therefore, more authorities need to join the supervision team to make the livestreaming industry more regulated and help it develop in a healthy manner."

Zhao also expressed concerns about some livestreamers who attract more online viewers by livestreaming sensational, harmful or even illegal content, saying that they must be more strictly combated.

In one incident in January, a doctor surnamed Li at Rizhao Central Hospital in Shandong province was placed under criminal detention for livestreaming a gynecological operation on Bilibili, a popular online video-sharing and entertainment platform.

Li's medical certification was canceled and he was dismissed from the hospital. In addition, the hospital was fined 50,000 yuan ($7,100) for releasing medical information, with 11 people working for the local government, health commission and the hospital held accountable.

Zhao said that such content must be firmly prohibited under joint and intensified supervision, suggesting authorities specify what each department should inspect.

Early this month, the Supreme People's Court, China's top court, issued a guideline on handling cases involving online consumption, clarifying that consumers can ask internet platforms and sellers to be held accountable if items they buy through livestreaming are of poor quality or have problems.

A China Internet Network Information Center report said that the number of e-commerce livestreaming users reached 384 million by the end of June, 75.2 million more than a year earlier.

Data from consultancy iiMedia Research indicated that the value of China's livestreaming e-commerce market reached 961 billion yuan in 2020.