TikTok’s sister app in China moves to curb ‘newsjacking’, spread of fake viral stories in latest ‘clean up’ of cyberspace
- Douyin said it will target ‘staged videos’ intended to mislead the audience, and require creators to prominently label such content as fictional or dramatised
- The new rules follow a similar crackdown last month by the country’s internet watchdog that targeted influencers who fabricate controversial content
Douyin, the sister app of TikTok in China, has moved to curb “newsjacking”, an increasingly popular online trick of expanding influence by taking advantage of viral news stories, in the latest demonstration of the platform’s capabilities in moderating and controlling content.
Douyin, which employs user-specific recommendation algorithms just like TikTok and is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, said it will crack down on accounts deliberately jumping on trending stories or fabricating viral stories, as part of its answer to Beijing’s campaign to “clean up” China’s cyberspace.
The short video app, which exerts huge influence in Chinese society with more than 600 million daily active users, has been vigilant in following Chinese regulations and toeing the Communist Party line, but the platform still provides fertile ground for personal narratives that turn into viral stories.
In the latest case, the sister of a 21-year-old man who committed suicide claimed her brother had been cheated out of money by his ex-girlfriend. It became a sensational viral story, triggering a wave of cyberbullying against the ex-girlfriend. A police report, however, found that the sister’s account was misleading and the ex-girlfriend was innocent.
In a statement on Monday, Douyin said it will target “staged videos” intended to mislead the audience, and require creators to prominently label such content as fictional or dramatised.
For videos that are suspected to be fictional but do not carry the warning, they will be removed and the account holders penalised unless they can provide materials to verify the content’s authenticity. Douyin also said it might involve the authorities and news organisations when investigating some viral cases.