Abstract:
The short video painting blogger "WORLD" had a very difficult month in June. Her accounts on two short video platforms encountered "accidents" one after another: an account with nearly 60,000 fans was banned, and the video of another account with 260,000 fans was removed from the shelves. Both bans and removals stem from reports and complaints from the same person.
The other party's intention is very direct - "to provide money to eliminate disasters". After "WORLD" transferred 1,000 yuan, the other party withdrew the complaint and the video was restored.
Jia Bojun, a blogger who conducts sports nutrition anti-counterfeiting reviews, also had a similar experience. On the morning of August 14, within 50 minutes, eight of his anti-counterfeiting videos were removed from the shelves due to complaints of "infringement of portrait rights" - but only he appeared in the videos. He suspected that the brand that had been cracked down on counterfeiting had found someone to do it.
According to clues provided by many bloggers, a reporter from the Beijing News recently investigated and found that
Malicious complaints on short video platforms have become a black industry. A team called "Dahao" fabricates facts or uses AI to forge reporting materials, and maliciously complains to cause other people's videos to be removed from the shelves or even their accounts to be blocked, in order to require bloggers to pay "protection fees" or collect money to "justify things" for brands. Some "registers" even took screenshots and posted them in the group to show off that they "earned more than 50,000 yuan in one month."
The "number makers" often set up groups on overseas social software to receive and dispatch orders. At the same time, they recruit apprentices and receive money to teach "number makers" experience and reporting skills templates. After the apprentices "study", they begin to take orders or work on their own, and some even set up separate "sects" to recruit apprentices.
At 4 p.m. on August 20, a reporter from the Beijing News followed the "number dialing" process he had learned and obtained the consent of a colleague to complain and report a video he posted on the short video platform. Two hours later, the video was taken down.
▲The account of video blogger "WORLD" with nearly 60,000 fans was banned due to malicious reports. Photo provided by interviewee
"Let's spend money to eliminate disasters"
"WORLD" is 19 years old and a freshman. She spends all her spare time painting, which is also the creative content of her video account.
She has short video accounts on two different platforms, one with nearly 60,000 fans and the other with 260,000 fans. The platform's creative incentives have become her main source of living expenses - "I can usually earn from a few hundred yuan to 2,000 yuan a month."
On June 8, her short video account with nearly 60,000 fans was suddenly banned for "violating national laws and regulations." She found a manual appeal, and the final result was only one sentence - "After comprehensive evaluation, the block will not be unblocked."
She didn't know who did it. Until someone posted a piece of work on another short video platform and @her, saying that he had blocked her account. On June 20, a new video posted by "WORLD" was taken down a few hours later. At that time, it had more than 80,000 likes. The person posted another video showing off.
"WORLD" went to the comment area of the other party's account to ask for this behavior to stop, and also tried calling the police, but to no avail. The police told her that this was a "platform matter" and she should go to the platform to resolve it.
At 1 a.m. on June 21, "WORLD" sent a private message to the other party on the platform: "Brother, do you and I have any misunderstandings? Please stop messing with me."
The other party replied, "Send money to eliminate the disaster", otherwise the "WORLD" account will also be complained to "banned".
"WORLD" had no choice but to transfer 1,000 yuan to the other party to "please let him go." She said: "This account is very important to me. The account is gone. I can't afford such a big risk."
After collecting the money, the other party withdrew the complaint, and the previously removed videos of "WORLD" returned to normal.
But the other party’s complaints continued. Following the “WORLD” watch list, she “touched almost all the painters she knew.”
"WORLD" and his friends discovered that the malicious complaints they encountered had formed a black industry chain called "number-fixing." People who specialize in making money by "number-typing" are also called "number-typing people."
▲Record of transfer from “WORLD” to “number caller”. Photo provided by interviewee
"25 yuan = 500 reports"
"WORLD" was directly asked for money after being "checked", while the works of bloggers such as Jia Bojun and "D'Artagnan" were reported, which is more like encountering "public opinion and public relations".
Jia Bojun was reported to have eight anti-counterfeiting videos removed from the shelves within 50 minutes, all involving the same brand. After the video was released, multiple accounts suddenly flooded into his fan group and "swiped the screen", continuously sending fixed content, spoofing the blogger's portrait, insulting group members, and even saying in the group, "XX brand is the eternal god, you poor devils are always saying bad things behind you."
Anti-fraud blogger "D'Artagnan" had a similar experience. In July this year, he released an investigation video on "Quick Move Franchise" contract fraud, which reached more than 1 million views in one night. Later, he was reported and removed from the website for "infringement of portrait rights" and "infringement of copyright". After he re-uploaded it, he was reported for removal again. In more than a month, he went through "removal - upload - re-removal" four or five times before finally giving up.
The complaint record shows that the complainant's surname is "Li", but "D'Artagnan" said that no one named Li appeared in the video. He suspected that the exposed Kuaishou franchise interested party purchased the "number-making" service.
Jia Bojun and "D'Artagnan"'s suspicions are not unfounded.
On a certain second-hand trading platform, some sellers selling "numbering" business solicited business with words such as "software batch reporting" and "rejecting invalid complaints and only doing precise strikes." Some merchants have published advertisements to "solve the problem of brand corruption", linking reporting services with the company's need to remove negative feedback.
These "registration" services have clearly marked prices: "Report users on major platforms, 500 operations for 25 yuan", "Batch reporting with software", "Professional team, safe and confidential". There is also a service specifically for live broadcast rooms, priced at 150 yuan, which promises to "make illegal live broadcast rooms face risks such as warnings, traffic restrictions, interruptions, and bans."
▲A quotation for the “numbering” service on a second-hand trading platform. Network screenshot
Reporting services are roughly divided into two categories: one is batch operation using script software, which can make hundreds or thousands of reports in a short period of time. For this type of reporting, most options such as "I don't like" are selected without the need to provide evidence; the other is manual reporting, which is charged on a pay-per-use basis. The seller organizes multiple accounts to report one by one. This type of report can be accompanied by the submission of evidence materials.
The "caller" fabricated facts and used AI to forge reporting materials
▲The report text generator provided by "The Caller" in the communication group. Network screenshot
▲A "caller" claims to have earned about 180,000 yuan in half a year by relying on malicious reports. Network screenshot
▲The quotation list of "number-makers" for recruiting apprentices on overseas social software. Network screenshot
Easy to report but difficult to appeal
In sharp contrast to the low cost of reporting, is the "high cost" of appeals.
"D'Artagnan" started his business at the beginning of this year and created an account called "Shanhe Investigation Bureau" with a team of three people. "On average, it takes one to two months to produce a video, which costs 20,000 to 30,000 yuan."
After his video was repeatedly reported and taken down, when he went to the platform to appeal, he was asked to provide "authorization from the complainant Li Moumou". "If the other person is not in the video, how can I provide his authorization?" "D'Artagnan" said.
Even though he submitted the authorization records of all the people who appeared on the scene, he was still rejected by the platform.
▲After the video blogger "D'Artagnan" was reported, his two statements failed to pass the platform review. Photo provided by interviewee
Expert: The right to report on the platform cannot be reduced to a commodity with a clearly marked price
The platform’s security review mechanism has become a profit-making tool for people with ulterior motives.
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