Kuaishou Hit With $17 Million Fine After Livestreaming Breakdown
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China’s short-video giant Kuaishou Technology Co. Ltd. has been fined 119.1 million yuan ($17.1 million) by Beijing’s cyberspace regulator for failing to promptly deal with a surge of pornographic and vulgar content that flooded its platform late last year.
The Beijing Cyberspace Administration announced the penalty on Friday. The action followed a serious content-moderation failure on the night of Dec. 22, 2025, when multiple livestreams on the Hong Kong-listed company’s app were disrupted by obscene videos. Kuaishou temporarily shut down its livestreaming portal in response.
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- Beijing fined Kuaishou 119.1 million yuan ($17.1 million) for failing to address a surge in pornographic content in December 2025, leading to a temporary shutdown of its livestreaming portal.
- Regulators found serious cybersecurity lapses and Kuaishou admitted shortcomings, vowing improvements.
- Kuaishou has 416.2 million daily users; livestreaming accounts for 27% of revenue, and company shares dropped 2.4% after the fine.
- Kuaishou Technology Co. Ltd.
- Kuaishou Technology Co. Ltd., a Chinese short-video giant, was fined 119.1 million yuan ($17.1 million) for failing to moderate pornographic content on its platform in December 2025. This marks the third penalty for Kuaishou in six months, following fines for inappropriate content and e-commerce violations. The company reported 416.2 million daily active users in Q3 2025.
- Chengdu Kuaigou Technology Co. Ltd.
- Chengdu Kuaigou Technology Co. Ltd. is a subsidiary of Kuaishou, the Chinese short-video giant. On January 30, it was fined over 26.7 million yuan for violating e-commerce laws, specifically for charging merchants unreasonable fees. This was one of three penalties Kuaishou and its subsidiaries received within a six-month period.
- September 2025：
- Kuaishou was penalized by regulators for inappropriate content on its hot-search list.
- End of the third quarter of 2025：
- Kuaishou reported 416.2 million daily active users; livestreaming accounted for 27% of total revenue.
- Night of December 22, 2025：
- Kuaishou's livestreaming platform was disrupted by pornographic videos; Kuaishou shut down its livestreaming portal in response.
- January 30, 2026：
- Kuaishou's subsidiary Chengdu Kuaigou Technology Co. Ltd. was fined more than 26.7 million yuan for violations of e-commerce laws.
- Friday, February 6, 2026：
- Beijing Cyberspace Administration announced a 119.1 million yuan fine on Kuaishou for content moderation failures; Kuaishou accepted the penalty and expressed remorse; Kuaishou shares closed down 2.4% at HK$71.3.
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