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YouTube streamer IShowSpeed announced a livestreaming tour in China and it left fans concerned about his safety.
Darren “IShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. announced that he will visit China and Mongolia for his next travel series. His fans are concerned about his decision, as the streamer posted a YouTube livestream link despite the website being banned in China.
Fans think that if Speed tries to bypass the censorship in China by livestreaming on YouTube, he will land in trouble. China permanently banned YouTube in 2009 along with other Google websites, and the streaming platform is still largely inaccessible.
Part of IShowSpeed’s audience speculates that the streamer has pre-recorded the upcoming China streams and will use YouTube’s Premiere feature to broadcast them live. The YouTuber has not commented on how he plans to livestream from China by bypassing the YouTube ban.
Is IShowSpeed Risking Prison to Stream From China?
While YouTube is banned in China, internet users claim that IShowSpeed will not face any serious consequences. Multiple tweets claiming that Speed is risking prison went viral after his China travel series trailer went live. Internet users responded to the tweets, claiming China does not arrest random tourists for using VPNs (virtual private networks) to access banned websites.
Why? Youtube is illegal in China and banned. Risking Prison.
— Philipp (@Mindful_Pal) March 18, 2025
Others pointed out that YouTube is banned only by Chinese internet service providers (ISPs). X user @RealFahadF7 said:
“If you are using your local internet provider, you will use all social media (X, Youtube, Google, …) apps legally.. Stop saying random stuff that you actually don’t know anything about..”
Despite many users claiming Speed will not face any issues livestreaming from YouTube, many in his audience are concerned. IShowSpeed has not addressed his community’s concerns so far and is yet to reveal how he will bypass China’s censorship.
Why Is YouTube Blocked In China?
China blocked YouTube long before IShowSpeed started streaming on the platform. The country banned YouTube temporarily in 2007 but never issued a public statement about the ban. The video platform was banned again in 2009 as part of its strict censorship, and it is still not accessible in 2025. However, the country allows access to the website in Macau, the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone, and some hotels in the country. When citizens try to access the website, YouTube shows an error screen saying:
“According to local regulations and policies, some results cannot be shown.”
Despite the ban, the website is popular in China, and multiple local news agencies have large channels on the platform. According to the internet analytics website Alexa Internet Inc., YouTube is among the top five most-visited websites in China.
Many content creators publish their footage on YouTube after they leave the country to avoid breaking any rules. IShowSpeed’s production team likely has plans in place to avoid any legal repercussions, but the streamer has not addressed the issue so far.
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