Zhang Lan (left) and Wang Xiaofei (right) Photo: Website

Douyin announced on Saturday it has permanently banned the accounts of Zhang Lan, former mother-in-law of late Taiwan actress and TV host Barbie Hsu “Big S”, and Zhang’s son Wang Xiaofei, who is Barbie Hsu’s ex-husband, for disseminating false information about Hsu.

According to Douyin’s announcement, the actions of Zhang and Wang violated public order, social norms and moral standards, disrespected the deceased and their families, and provoked widespread public backlash.

Barbie Hsu recently passed away from pneumonia as a complication of the flu while traveling in Japan with her family. Her death has attracted widespread attention, and netizens expressed their condolences and called for respect and dignity in remembering her.

But the decency to treat the deceased with respect apparently was disregarded by Zhang and Wang, with whom Barbie Hsu was in an ongoing post-divorce disputes.

After Barbie Hsu’s death, Chinese influencer “Wo Shi Xia Xiao Jian” who has ties to Zhang’s self-proclaimed “godson” claimed in a live stream that the flight that brought Barbie Hsu’s ashes back to Taiwan was paid for by Wang.

The allegations spread so widely that the words “Video of Zhang Lan saying Wang Xiaofei chartered a flight” became a trending topic on Weibo. It has since prompted Barbie Hsu’s younger sister Dee Hsu to publicly debunk those rumors.

Despite the backlash, Zhang continued her live stream which was swiftly taken offline within an hour . During the broadcast, she received a call from Wang, while thousands of viewers witnessed their heated exchange live as Wang confronted Zhang over the rumor about the chartered flight.

In its announcement, Douyin said it will continue to intensify its crackdown on all types of infringements and sensationalist misinformation, and ensure a responsible and respectful online community.

Many Chinese netizens praised Douyin’s decision, emphasizing that the internet should not be a lawless space and that basic respect and ethical boundaries must be upheld. Some expressed hope that Barbie Hsu could truly rest in peace and that Zhang and Wang’s family would no longer profit from Barbie Hsu’s legacy.

On Saturday afternoon, Sina Weibo announced the suspension of the live broadcast function on Zhang Lan’s account.

“We have noticed that the owner of the account has been banned on other platforms for disseminating false information. As a content platform, Weibo will also address violations occurring within our platform in accordance with community regulations,”the announcement stated.

So far, Weibo has cleared more than 2,100 rumors related to the death of Barbie Hsu.