Only a few Chinese social media celebrities have been exposed for publishing offensive words on China, and an expert said the platform should strengthen regulations on live streamers.
Live streamer Bzong001, whose real name remains unknown, said that "Chinese are inferior to the Japanese and South Koreans based on the theory of evolution. If I were Japanese, I would have invaded China" during one of his broadcasts on Douyu, a livestreaming platform, according to screenshots of the video, which went viral last week.
Five days before Bzong001's video was revealed, a 20-year-old online celebrity surnamed Yang was detained for five days for singing a garbled version of the national anthem during a broadcast to millions of her followers on the Huya platform.
Wang Sixin, a professor at the Communication University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday that these platforms should take precautions to prevent similar incidents from happening, because punishments cannot offset the bad influence.
After these incidents, furious net users filed reports of similar cases to platforms and reported them on multiple Chinese social media platforms.
Bzong001 apologized on Tuesday, saying his words were distorted in a broadcast on November 25, 2016 by fans of another streamer who had conflicts with him.
"I was watching a documentary about World War II and trying to say that countries lagging behind will be attacked," Bzong001 said.
Chen Yifa, a host on live-streaming portal Douyu, triggered public outrage by making fun of the Nanjing Massacre in a video, and Douyu banned her account in July.
"Platforms are responsible for checking hosts' social media records, or should build a qualification system," Wang said, adding that the threshold for broadcasting on livestreaming platforms to gain fame and wealth is low.
Platforms can also brief new hosts about cyberspace rules and regulations, which is better than simply banning them or imposing a fine, Wang said.
A credit record system should also be established to regulate the hosts, and anyone who breaks the law should not be allowed to re-enter the industry, Wang said.
The livestreaming industry in China made 30.45 billion yuan ($4.4 billion) in 2017, China Internet Network Information Center data showed.
