Xiaohongshu Hit with Another Penalty Again with Additional Fine
Xiaohongshu's 16 Administrative Penalties: A Look into the App's Violations and Controversies
The app “Xiaohongshu” has been penalized 16 times
According to information from the Tianyancha app, on March 31st, Shanghai Xiaoyin Information Technology Co., Ltd., an affiliated company of Xiaohongshu, was fined 35,000 yuan by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism for violating Article 24(9) of the “Regulations on the Management of Internet Publishing Services”. This regulation stipulates that online publications shall not contain content that harms social morality or the nation’s excellent cultural traditions.
These publications mainly include books and peripheral products from Xiaohongshu. Some of the book content contains unhealthy, vulgar, false, and misleading information, involving content that harms social morality such as pornography and violence, while peripheral product designs, color schemes, and other aspects also have too many inappropriate values, curiosity-seeking, and vulgar issues.
From the information summarized in the Tianyancha app, Xiaohongshu has previously encountered 16 administrative penalties. There is a news that “Xiaohongshu violated the Law on the Protection of Minors and was fined” once topped Weibo’s hot search list in the last year.
At that time, Shanghai Xiaoyin Information Technology Co., Ltd. was fined 300,000 yuan by the Huangpu District Administration of Culture and Tourism in Shanghai for violating the Law on the Protection of Minors. According to CCTV’s report, Xiaohongshu pushed videos that leaked the privacy of minors to users, and the shooters were minors themselves, holding their phones to take selfies directly at their private parts. Some of these videos’ comments and bullet screens also contained strong sexual implications. In addition, on the Xiaohongshu app page, many short videos featuring minors as the main characters occasionally included short videos introducing online games, and their names and covers also had strong sexual implications.
A video account named “Game Commentary” posted a short video introducing a game, directly using the naked body of a female character as the cover. The video also labeled the subtitle “dancing without clothes”. Repeatedly using minors to play on the edge of pornography, is it Xiaohongshu or “Xiaohuangshu”? But what can be confirmed is that netizens call it “Xiaopian book.”
The Problem of Xiaohongshu – Fake Photos
- Stunning Flower Field Photos
For example (picture on left), the tulip blossoms on Wu Kang Road in Shanghai appeared on Xiaohongshu homepage. The blossoming flowers, accompanied by the quaint architecture, created a unique feeling. Consequently, it successfully attracted many bloggers to take pictures and write captions describing it as “stunning” and “the feeling of spring.” Netizens were also moved by the photos, but upon arriving at the scene, they almost couldn’t find the tulips. Upon closer inspection, it turns out it was just a small jar of flowers (picture on right). Not only with tulips, but such incidents are common on Xiaohongshu.
- Romantic Pink Beach
For example, the pink beach that was previously criticized was photographed by Xiaohongshu bloggers in this way:
But the actual scene is:
When will the Xiaohongshu photo fraud come to an end? It makes people want to shout to the anti-fraud APP: “Can’t you expand your business a bit more?”
In addition to fake photos, Xiaohongshu has also been caught up in controversies surrounding the sale of counterfeit goods. On the online consumer dispute resolution platform “Electric Complaints Treasure,” users have complained about the automatic receipt of goods purchased on Xiaohongshu and being refused returns by the seller on the grounds of exceeding the 7-day receipt period.
- Purchasing Fake Products
According to media reports, on February 20th, Ms. Zhang from Guizhou Province complained to “Electric Complaints Treasure” that she purchased a 128 yuan bottle of a well-known perfume on the Xiaohongshu platform on February 8th. The store name was “Yuzu Fragrance,” and the Xiaohongshu name was also “Yuzu Fragrance.” Ms. Zhang stated that she tried to confirm with the seller from the 13th to the 14th but the seller could not provide proof of a legitimate purchase. Ms. Zhang was insulted and blocked when she tried to seek compensation, and her complaint to Xiaohongshu platform was futile.
With fake photos in the past and fake products in the present, it seems that Xiaohongshu has many pitfalls.
- Xiaohongshu delete user photos
The incident of Xiaohongshu deleting user photos without consent is a serious violation of user privacy and a clear infringement of their rights. Although the platform claimed that it only cleared temporary cache generated during app usage, experts pointed out that this cache should be stored in a private cache directory according to Android development standards, and the platform deleting content from the public directory is clearly not within the scope of allowed caching.
Furthermore, if the platform did indeed delete user videos or other files without their consent, this would be a clear case of infringement. As a platform positioning itself as sharing a beautiful life, Xiaohongshu should not tolerate users deceiving others and crossing the line into pornography to gain more traffic.
While the platform has risen to the top of the free app rankings on the Apple Store, the various problems that have come to light suggest that it may not remain in this position for long. The incident has sparked concerns about user privacy and data protection on similar platforms, and highlights the importance of companies respecting and protecting the rights of their users.
In a conclusion, While Xiaohongshu has become one of the most popular social media platforms in China, its reputation has been tarnished by these controversies. Some users have accused the platform of tolerating fake or misleading content in order to generate traffic, while others have criticized the platform for not doing enough to regulate the sale of counterfeit products. The unauthorized deletion of user photos has also raised concerns about user privacy and data security.
It is important for brands and enterprises to be mindful of the types of violations that can occur when managing a Xiaohongshu account, particularly when it comes to content marketing. We are sharing information on the Xiaohongshu violations and the platform’s content marketing rules, covering the sections:
1. Common Types of Xiaohongshu Content Marketing Violations
2. Xiaohongshu Content – Key Industry Policy
3. Xiaohongshu Offensive Keywords Guideline
4. Xiaohongshu Content – Frequently Asked Questions
5. Xiaohongshu Marketing Appendix
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