Reported By Palden
Edited by Pema Tso
Translated by TenGyal
Recently, the Chinese government has been strictly regulating and prohibiting posts on the social media platform Kuaishou that feature Tibetans wearing traditional attire or speaking in the Tibetan language.
The Chinese authorities continue to rigorously monitor posts depicting the teachings, prayers, or portraits of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan religious figures. Furthermore, Kuaishou—the popular social media platform—strictly regulates and sends warning messages to users for speaking Tibetan or wearing traditional robes. The company also imposes penalties ranging from a few days’ suspension to months-long or even permanent bans on such accounts.
During this year’s Losar (Tibetan New Year), a Tibetan inside Tibet was video-calling a friend and other close associates in exile; because a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama was visible on the altar, the Kuaishou office immediately issued a warning message.
According to a source inside Tibet, “Recently, on the Kuaishou platform, users who post and share videos of Tibetans wearing traditional robes and speaking in Tibetan are being intensely regulated. Moreover, in some cases, they are controlling and restricting the number of participants allowed in live broadcasts.”
The warning notice issued by Kuaishou, which clearly cites a breach of regulations, states: “Please be advised to respect and abide by the Kuaishou Community Guidelines. In the case of a first-time offense, your Kuaishou account will not be affected. However, if you continue to post such content repeatedly, your account will be restricted or prohibited.”
Another Tibetan source stated, “Kuaishou has regularly exercised strict control over users who speak fluent Tibetan on the platform. Furthermore, they regulate live broadcasts that display Tibetan text on background walls or banner flags. For example, the phrase ‘བོད་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་ས་ལྷ་ས་’ (Lhasa, the Capital of Tibet) does not appear on the screen unless it is typed as ‘@བོད@ཀྱི@རྒྱལ@ས@ལྷ@ས།’.”
On January 22 of this year, a Tibetan user of the Kuaishou (Mgyogs-‘phrin) social media platform inside Tibet reported that the Chinese government and Kuaishou authorities have recently begun targeting creators who post content depicting the authentic lives of nomads. Authorities have reportedly imposed restrictions and bans under the pretext that these creators are “meat-eaters” and are exerting a “negative influence” on society. It was stated that these actions have not only offended the sentiments of the nomadic community but also constitute government interference in the self-sufficient and traditional way of life where nomads protect their own lands and livelihoods.
According to information obtained by TibetTimes correspondent , the Chinese government has deleted the Kuaishou accounts of Golog Palden and the singer Tsunte (also known as Asang), both of whom had previously served three-year prison sentences. Furthermore, both accounts belonging to Tsongon Tsering, a Tibetan environmental activist, have been wiped, as well as the account of the missing online influencer Aga Gelek (also known as Sonam Choedrup).
The Chinese government has enacted vague “Information Service Regulations” under the guise of promoting internet community development and maintaining security. Since June 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China has implemented two sets of security regulations for social media: the “Provisions on the Management of Information Services for Internet Public Accounts” and the “Provisions on the Management of Internet Group Information Services.” These regulations explicitly prohibit sending content involving political issues, internal confidential documents, military information, or spreading rumors and state secrets. Additionally, they mandate that creators of WeChat groups, public forums, and financial transaction groups must take full legal responsibility for all information shared within those groups.
