Douyin, the Mainland Chinese version of TikTok, says its crackdown on illegal gambling-related accounts and content is already bearing fruit.
The video-sharing platform is operated by the Beijing-based social media giant ByteDance, which is better-known overseas for developing TikTok.
TikTok is unavailable in Mainland China, with Douyin only available to domestic users, although both share similar user interfaces.
Douyin published a document named “An In-Depth Crackdown on Illegal Online Industries,” the Chinese media outlet Beijing Youth Daily reported.
Douyin: Gambling Crackdown Led to Arrests
Douyin first revealed the details of its purge in April this year. Officials said that they were aware that some content creators use cryptic codewords in place of direct references to gambling.
This, creators think, can help them avoid detection. But the platform operators say they are aware of these tactics and have banned accounts at a rate of 10,000 per day.
In its latest report, Douyin said it had helped secure the arrest of 162 suspects involved with promoting illegal gambling sites and spreading pornography.
The social media firm said it works with police and other law enforcement agencies to crack down on crime.
Douyin said that it has helped police arrest 15 livestreamers who displayed QR codes during their broadcasts. Investigators found that these codes redirected viewers to overseas-based pornography and gambling platforms.
The livestreamers, said Douyin, took money from “overseas-based criminal gangs.” The gangs reportedly paid them “based on the number of QR codes scanned.”
Douyin said that “traditional black market groups” are currently using a wide range of “covert methods” to post illegal gambling-related content on the platform.
Many of these are specifically designed to test the limits of the platform’s identification software.
Others aim to unblock accounts flagged for violating Chinese laws.
Blind Box Controversy Builds
“Criminal groups continue to maliciously resist platform governance measures,” Douyin said.
Officials said they would continue to develop new and more sophisticated identification capabilities.
They added that Douyin will continue to “collaborate with the relevant authorities” as the crackdown continues.
Controversy continues to build over blind box-related content on Douyin. In the past few years, blind box vendors have taken to Douyin to livestream sales. They typically present several sealed boxes during the streams and invite viewers to pay a flat fee for one of them.
The livestreamer then typically opens the box to show the buyer what they have received. Many critics say this encourages gambling-like behavior.
Douyin has responded with a crackdown. Just under a year ago, the social media firm’s e-commerce safety center said Douyin was “systematically addressing blind box-related rule violations.”
The center said it had shut down some 4,000 livestreaming sessions and deactivated about 1,000 user accounts.
All forms of gambling remain illegal in Mainland China, although the government operates two lotteries.
Beijing has justified this by stating that the lotteries are a form of fundraising that helps fund grassroots sports.
Last month, a Chinese media network unearthed a network of e-commerce card resellers who use vouchers to let gamblers place bets on online casino platforms.
