Changes in video policy after daredevil’s fatal fall

Our featured Society and Culture story today is about an internet company that has been streaming live footage from its 657 surveillance cameras — publicly, for anyone to see — placed in restaurants, classrooms, grocery stores, gyms, etc. Read more here:

https://thechinaproject.com/2017/12/12/live-stream-video-platform-accused-privacy-violations/

Other stories:

• Shen Yun: Culture or cult?
  The traditional Chinese dance troupe China doesn’t want you to see / Guardian
• First Chinese-American mayor of San Francisco dies
  Ed Lee, San Francisco mayor, dies at 65 / NYT (paywall)
• On British television
  TV comedy like Chinese Burn doesn’t smash stereotypes. It reinforces them / Guardian
• Ai Weiwei
  The art of activism: An interview with Ai Weiwei on Human Flow / Cineaste
• Education scandals
  Kindergartens in China: A conversation with those inside the system / Elephant Room
  Chinese education officials apologize over fake MIT whiz-kid story / SCMP
• Critters and varmints
  The rat hunters of Inner Mongolia / Sixth Tone
• After the death of a live-streaming daredevil…
  Dangerous stunts get thumbs-down from video platforms / China Daily

Multiple social media and video streaming platforms will limit who can view videos that depict dangerous stunts – and may even prohibit such material – in an effort to discourage imitators.

In November, daredevil stunt climber Wu Yongning fell to his death while scaling a skyscraper in Changsha, Hunan province. Wu, 26, had more than 1.3 million followers on social media who regularly devoured his breathtaking videos and photos. He climbed with no protective gear.