US tistok users experience Chinese censorship for the first time

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The Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as a speaker, has surprisingly advertised position offers for moderators for English-language content in the past few days. This happens because a growing number new accounts, above all because a Apprising prohibitions from Tiktok, which is supposed to come into force on Sunday.

The challenge of freedom of expression

The sudden influx of users from abroad who call themselves "Tikok refugees" represents a new challenge for the app. This must now be compensated for between the strict content moderation guidelines of China and the provision of positive experiences for the non-Chinese-speaking newlings.

Many users enjoy the platform. The American artist Heather Roberts, who has over 32,000 follower on Tikkok and has now created an account on Rednote, expressed that she likes the Chinese app because "everyone is so nice and friendly." She added: "We realize that the Chinese people are not so unlike us. It really brings us together. It is a wonderful thing - that's really."

censorship and frustration

However, the "Honeymoon phase" quickly came to an end for an increasing proportion of American users. After just a few days, some begin to express frustration about the censorship rules that go far beyond what they are used to. It is not just violent content, hate speeches or pornography that are not allowed. The Chinese Internet is famous for censoring a constantly growing list of terms that are considered sensitive, be it for political or other reasons.

While the Chinese authorities determine the censorship rules, the enforcement of the rules is generally in the platforms themselves, the often extensive teams of moderators to remove content that violates the guidelines. These platforms are forced to enforce censorship rigorously, since non-observance of , Blocking or even closures.

emigration of users

An American user who identified himself as a "non-bineme" was censored after he published a post on Tuesday in which he asked if the platform welcomed homosexual people. The contribution was removed within a few hours, reported the user CNN. The next day he published a new contribution in which he announced his termination of the platform, but he quickly received homophobic comments in which some users accused him of cultural impression.

Another male user expressed his displeasure after Rednote had censored a photo of his upper body. "Why can't I post photos of my fitness state and my abdominal muscles?" He asked and added that "he had never had such a problem on Tikkok and Instagram." A Chinese user suggested that he try to hide his nipples, since Chinese social media platforms generally impose restrictions on showing nipples if this is perceived as sexually provocative.

growing influence of China

Some Rednote users have also noticed that contributions about the Japanese anime "My Hero Academia", which has been censored by the platform since 2018 in China due to controversial references to Japan's war. When a spokesman for the Beijing Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked whether China would reinforce the test of content from overseas users, he described the use of social media as a "personal decision." Guo Jiakun said at a daily press conference in Beijing: "China has always supported and encouraged the exchange between people and cultural encounters with other countries to promote connections between people."

A comment, published by China's state -run "People’s Daily", said that the influx of foreign users is an indication of Beijings, which is growing. "Without a doubt this is due to China's profound historical and cultural accumulation ... The openness of the country, the friendliness of the people and the tolerance of our society," wrote the newspaper on Thursday.

urgent need for moderators

The influx of users who are not familiar with the Internet rules of China has made Rednote to look for English-language moderators who are familiar with Western culture. Since the beginning of this week, Rednote has reached the top position in Apple's US app store. While it is one of the largest social media platforms of China with 300 million users, it has not previously gained much importance outside the Chinese-speaking world.

The company had to "search for ways to moderate English -language content and to develop translation tools for English and Chinese," said Reuters on Wednesday, citing two sources familiar with the company. According to the information published by the state newspaper "Yangcheng Evening News", Rednote has published "urgent" job advertisements for moderators who focus on the administration of English contributions. Such a complaint, which was first published on a Chinese recruitment platform, was removed by Thursday, and it is unclear why it was deleted. CNN asked Rednote to comment.

Another contribution that was still found on Rednotes official website on Thursday shows that the company is looking for new "innovation interns" to help "to promote the healthy development of the ecosystem of the content" in English.

Some Chinese Rednote users have also given their American colleagues advice on how to deal with the censorship system. For example, some openly called up to accept the sovereignty of China about Taiwan . China's Communist Party claims the self -governing democracy Taiwan as a own territory and has promised to take control of it, if necessary, even though she never controlled it. Taipei decidedly rejects this claim and explains that the future of the island can only be decided by its people.

Ivy Yang, a Chinese technology analyst and founder of the advisory company Wavelet Strategy, said that the influx of new American users could be challenges for the moderators on the platform and the Chinese government, but nevertheless being considered a "big prize" for China. "It is a self -selected group of curious users who are open to learn more about the other side of the digital firewall and open up the opportunity to be taught about China and its people," she added.

"If China is serious about the exchange between people, then maybe there could be the possibility that this type of organic interaction will develop for a while."

This is the case for Jeremy Fraga, a triple father from Fort Worth, Texas. He said that since downloading Rednote he was addicted to the platform on Monday and that she had introduced his children. "Going on a speaker and speaking to these people for hours showed me another side of China. And it challenged my worldview," said Fribran. "I think I will do this into my new home, even if Tiktok is not blocked."