A smartphone with the icons representing the social networking apps WeChat and others on it on June 29, 2018 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
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GUANGZHOU, China – If you’ve been thinking about picking your nose or pulling your underwear over your head while streaming live on WeChat, think again.
Tencent operates WeChat, a messaging app that is used by over a billion people. The app has become an integral part of everyday life in China and can be used from payments to flight booking. Last year Tencent introduced a live broadcast feature called “Channels”.
To clean up the platform, the Chinese tech giant posted a list of dozens of common “violations” on its platform that it found by monitoring channels.
So-called “vulgar” content is prohibited. This includes all acts of sexual provocation such as “seductive lip licking” and focusing the camera on “sensitive” parts of the body. Spanking is also prohibited.
Fortune telling, nose picking and pulling underwear over the head are also not allowed.
Tencent also offers items of clothing that cannot be worn, including fishnet stockings. According to Tencent, women are not only allowed to send in bikini or wrapped in sheets or bath towels.
Anyone showing tattoos is also breaking WeChat’s rules.
Other violations include speaking about politically sensitive content, allowing minors to host a live stream, and promoting content related to gambling.
Chinese tech giants are currently in the crosshairs of regulators in the world’s second largest economy. Live streaming is an area that authorities have been watching closely during the coronavirus pandemic.
