Chinese Tech Mogul Held by Authorities Over Alleged Adult Content on Video Platform

Chinese Tech Mogul Held by Authorities Over Alleged Adult Content on Video Platform

BEIJING — Chen Shaojie, founder and CEO of DouYu — China’s leading video streaming platform — is being held by Chinese authorities over supposed “pornographic content” on the site.

Chen’s whereabouts had been a mystery for weeks until Monday, when anonymous sources unofficially told the Chinese press that he was being held somewhere in the country’s labyrinthine prison system.

A few months ago, China’s internet watchdog, the all-powerful Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), launched an on-site inspection of DouYu’s local subsidiary in the Hubei province “to address ‘serious’ problems, including pornography,” the English-language South China Morning Post reported.

DouYu — a massive, China-based analog to YouTube — is the largest platform of its kind in the country, boasting 163.6 million monthly active users before the pandemic and outranking competing platforms such as DouYin, the flagship product by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance.

Several weeks ago, following the Hubei branch inspection, Chen “vanished from sight and could neither be contacted nor located by his colleagues,” local news reported.

Reports about Chen, the tech mogul behind the Tencent Holdings-backed DouYu International Holdings, confirm he is being held “incommunicado” by Chinese authorities.

“When someone becomes incommunicado in mainland China, it typically means that the person has either been taken away by authorities for an inquiry or ‘to assist in an investigation,’” the South China Morning Post explained. “In Chen’s case, no Chinese authority has provided any information about his disappearance.”

Chen’s last public appearance was in August, during DouYu’s second-quarter results conference call.

'Providing Easy Access to Pornography'

Another tech mogul, China Renaissance Holdings chairman Bao Fan, was seized by authorities earlier this year in an unspecified investigation. “Authorities have not provided further details about Bao’s situation,” the South China Morning Post offered.

Chen’s case echoes a 2016 investigation, when video streaming pioneer Wang Xin was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison and fined 1 million yuan by the Beijing Haidian District People’s Court, which found him guilty of ‘distributing obscene materials for personal gain.’”

The government charged Wang with “providing easy access to pornography” through his platform.

The weaponization of obscenity laws against tech companies and moguls over third-party content published on platforms, and against other politically controversial individuals, has been routine in totalitarian regimes worldwide.

In the U.S., Section 230 shields tech companies from liability over third-party content, and discourages government abuse of sensational sex-related accusations to target companies and individuals.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

Show More