BUSINESS

Kuaishou Halts Livestreams After Moderation Failure Floods Platform With Explicit Content

Published: Dec. 24, 2025 3:06 a.m. GMT+8

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Kuaishou has more than 400 million daily active users.

Chinese short-video platform Kuaishou said late Monday that it suffered a major content moderation failure after an automated attack disrupted livestreams and briefly flooded the platform with pornographic material, prompting the company to suspend livestream access.

Kuaishou Technology Co. Ltd. said the incident occurred around 10 p.m. on Monday, when it was targeted by what it described as a coordinated attack by “black and gray market” actors. The company said it has reported the case to regulators and alerted police.

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Kuaishou suffered a major content moderation failure after an automated cyberattack flooded its livestreams with pornographic material, briefly suspending livestream access and causing a 3.52% drop in shares.
The incident raised concerns about platform vulnerabilities and management shortcomings, as cyberattacks become increasingly automated and sophisticated in China’s streaming industry.
Kuaishou has over 400 million daily users; livestreaming accounted for 27% of its Q3 revenue, but the business faces growing regulatory scrutiny and tighter oversight.

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Who’s Who

Kuaishou: Kuaishou is a major Chinese short-video platform with over 400 million daily active users, including its core apps which record 416 million daily users. Livestreaming accounts for 27% of its total revenue. Kuaishou recently experienced a significant content moderation failure due to a coordinated automated attack, which temporarily flooded the platform with prohibited material and led to the suspension of livestreaming services. The company has enhanced its moderation system with automated and human review, using large language models for better detection.

Kuaishou Technology Co. Ltd.: Kuaishou Technology Co. Ltd. is a Chinese short-video platform that recently experienced a major content moderation failure due to an automated attack, flooding the platform with pornographic material. The company has over 400 million daily active users, with livestreaming being a significant revenue pillar. Despite investments in risk control, the incident exposed vulnerabilities and management shortcomings, highlighting a shift towards automated cyberattacks targeting content review mechanisms. Kuaishou has faced increased regulatory scrutiny and has warned investors of cybersecurity risks.

ByteDance: ByteDance is mentioned as the parent company of Doubao, an app that ranked higher than Kuaishou on Apple's iOS app download rankings in China.

QAX: Security experts at QAX suggest the Kuaishou incident highlights a trend toward automated cyberattacks. They explain that attackers use tools to rapidly register accounts and control bot networks to disseminate prohibited content, overwhelming human moderators and causing temporary platform control failures.

Beijing Hanhua Feitian Information Security Technology Co. Ltd.: Beijing Hanhua Feitian Information Security Technology Co. Ltd. is a company whose head is Peng Gen, a cybersecurity expert. Peng Gen commented on the exploited vulnerabilities in Kuaishou's content review mechanisms, suggesting the attack showed management shortcomings and a slow emergency response to automated attacks despite the unsophisticated technology involved.

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What Happened When

Since 2023：: Chinese authorities tightened oversight of short-video, music streaming, and livestreaming platforms, slowing livestream revenue growth.

April 2025：: Kuaishou released its 2024 environmental, social and governance report, detailing its moderation system.

2025-09：: During a major event, more than 20,000 IP addresses launched a coordinated attack on a company but were blocked by an AI-powered security system. Regulators also opened an investigation into a Kuaishou subsidiary for suspected violations of the E-Commerce Law, and the platform was penalized for displaying harmful content.

As of end of 2025 Q3：: Kuaishou’s core apps recorded 416 million daily active users and livestreaming accounted for 27% of total revenue in the third quarter.

2025-12-22：: Kuaishou was ranked No. 46 on Apple’s iOS app download rankings in China.

2025-12-23：: Kuaishou suspended livestream access, reported the attack to regulators, and alerted the police.

By 2025-12-23 afternoon：: Kuaishou jumped to No. 2 on Apple’s iOS app download rankings in China.

Around 10 p.m. 2025-12-23：: Kuaishou suffered a major content moderation failure due to a coordinated automated attack, disrupting livestreams and flooding the platform with pornographic material.

2025-12-24 morning：: Kuaishou issued a statement saying emergency response procedures and system repairs were activated immediately after detecting the attack.