Scrutiny increased on misleading social media posts

Lifestyle app Xiaohongshu announced on Monday it is encouraging its users to report posts that exaggerate and sensationally promote "untapped destinations" or those that may pose a risk to the public.

The app said its staff will act quickly to remove posts that feature inaccurate or misleading information.

Xiaohongshu said sharing travel tips on the platform is acceptable, but misleading content or content designed to attract people to risky areas may cause injury and disturb public order.

It also reminded users to take good care of their personal safety and to keep away from such destinations as the Spring Festival holiday approaches.

The announcement follows the latest crackdown by the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission on Monday. The office announced a monthlong action plan to sort out online problems including the improper sharing of untapped tourism destinations, internet fraud and flaunting wealth.

"It's really necessary to regulate some improper posts, not only on Xiaohongshu, but on other platforms like Sina Weibo, where there is a flood of bombastic information," said Yan Qing, a Xiaohongshu user.

She said she was once hoodwinked by a post about a trendy cafe on the outskirts of Beijing. "I jumped on the bandwagon to visit the cafe posted about by many bloggers on the Xiaohongshu. But what I actually found was the place was in a lonesome village with poor transport. It wasn't as beautiful as it was presented on the platform. I was very disappointed and felt cheated.

"I think the new policy Xiaohongshu just announced will benefit users and reduce risks. It will help guide bloggers to judge and weigh their sharing, I think, as reporting their posts will bring damage to their reputations, and reputation means everything to these bloggers," she added.

The promotion of places off the beaten track has led to fatal accidents in the past. In August, seven people were killed at a "popular but not well-developed" beauty spot on a river bed in Ya'an, Sichuan province, after it was hit by a flash flood.

Yao Junchang, co-founder of Beijing Weiheng Law Office, said that bloggers' improper sharing of undeveloped travel destinations or places with high risks may have legal liability, such as for financial compensation, if followers are injured or even killed visiting places they have promoted.

"It's not an absolute situation, however. If bloggers put some warnings like 'this place is not recommended because it's not well developed' with their videos and operators in these places have warnings to avoid any traveling activities, they may have legal exemptions," he said.

"All in all, platforms where bloggers upload their posts or videos should review with vigilance and they should take necessary measures such as blocking the posts or videos and sending warnings to users whenever finding visible or obvious dangers in the posts," he added.