On February 6th, the Beijing Cyberspace Administration imposed a fine of 1.19 billion yuan on the Kuaishou platform, marking the first substantial penalty issued under the amended “Cybersecurity Law.” Concurrently, the Chinese authorities continue to strengthen internet regulations, sparking concerns across various sectors about further constriction of freedom of speech.
According to the “21st Century Economic Report,” on February 6th, the Beijing Cyberspace Administration announced that it had fined the Kuaishou platform 1.19 billion RMB and ordered it to make corrections within a specified timeframe, handle accounts, and deal with responsible personnel.
This penalty stems from a significant security incident on the night of December 22, 2025. On that evening, a large amount of explicit content flooded several live-streaming rooms on Kuaishou in a short period, drawing widespread user attention. Kuaishou responded at the time by attributing the incident to attacks from illegal and unethical sources, reporting the matter to relevant authorities and the police.
However, the Beijing Cyberspace Administration ultimately stated that Kuaishou failed to fulfill its obligations in safeguarding cybersecurity, inadequately addressing system vulnerabilities and other security risks in a timely manner, resulting in severe consequences and negative impacts. Kuaishou subsequently issued an apology statement, acknowledging the official findings.
The fine of 1.19 billion yuan sets a record in recent years, being the first penalty issued under the amended “Cybersecurity Law” of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The law completed its revisions at the end of 2025 and officially came into effect on January 1, 2026. One of the core changes in the new law is the substantial increase in penalties, with the maximum fine amount raised from 1 million yuan to 10 million yuan.
The fine of 1.19 billion yuan exceeds the statutory upper limit of a single provision. Industry insiders revealed to mainland media that the Cyberspace Administration will continue to intensify its crackdown efforts this year.
Simultaneously ramping up enforcement measures, the authorities are comprehensively upgrading internet control measures. According to Xinhua News Agency, on the afternoon of November 28, 2025, the CCP Political Bureau conducted a collective study on “strengthening internet ecosystem governance,” emphasizing the establishment of a sound mechanism for governing the internet ecosystem and enhancing “guidance” on internet platforms and self-media.
This development has sparked widespread attention and questioning overseas. Current affairs commentator Li Lin told Dajiyuan that the authorities are dissatisfied with online public opinion, viewing many reflections of real-life issues raised online as “negative energy.” This reflects that many people in society have a clear understanding of the real problems, while the authorities are concerned about losing control over online public opinion.
Mainland lawyer Lu Ming (pseudonym) told Dajiyuan that the official rhetoric about “clearing the air” is essentially a glossing over of speech control. In plain terms, it is suppressing freedom of speech on the internet to prevent dissenting voices.
Independent commentator Cai Shenkun previously stated that under the guise of building a powerful internet nation, the authorities are actually preparing for a political movement. It can be anticipated that even WeChat chatting will be tightly regulated, and dissemination and forwarding of various information will be a focal point for crackdown and purging, which may also target influential individuals within the system.
(Note: Contributions to this article were made by Dajiyuan reporter Luo Ya.)