China cracks down on criminal network using online public opinion to extort the entertainment industry
As soon as a new drama is announced, scandals and allegations surface. Behind the noise, questions linger about who is orchestrating the narrative.
On June 29, reporters from the Yangcheng Evening News learned from the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department that, on June 16, under the direct command of the Cyber Security Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security and the Cyber Security Corps of the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, acting on intelligence, the Heyuan Municipal Public Security Bureau carried out an in-depth investigation before launching a targeted operation, successfully dismantling a criminal syndicate led by Li Mou Jun that used online public opinion to carry out extortion, and arresting 12 criminal suspects.
A reporter from Yangcheng Evening News noted that the entertainment blogger implicated in the case last updated their Weibo account on June 15. Their posts involved numerous popular celebrities, including Zhang Ling He, Tian Xi Wei, Yang Chao Yue, Dilraba Dilmurat, and Sun Li. The blogger had also previously been publicly named in a lawyer's statement issued by Beijing Times Fengjun Culture & Art Development Co., Ltd., which condemned their alleged acts of fabricating rumors and defamation.
The investigation found that Li Mou Jun's group had established an MCN (Multi-Channel Network) agency and registered it as "Mou Culture Communication Co., Ltd." The agency exercised control over multiple WeChat and Weibo accounts, with a combined following of more than 10 million.
The group employed online writers to collect and piece together various celebrity gossip. It also used an AI agent to operate the multiple major influencer accounts under its control, posting content that deliberately generated negative online buzz during the broadcast of television dramas and variety shows.
After the group published posts that generated negative online publicity, the production teams of the affected projects, coming under public pressure, proactively contacted Li Mou Jun to negotiate the removal of the posts.
Taking advantage of the situation, Li Mou Jun demanded that the platforms streaming the dramas or the celebrities' management agencies purchase his so-called "drama protection" services; otherwise, he would refuse to delete the negative online posts.
The gang's "drama protection" services generally included publishing posts promoting the drama in a positive light, deleting previously posted negative content about the related celebrities, and promising not to publish any further negative posts about the drama or its cast during the broadcast period.
By controlling multiple major influencer accounts, the group generated negative online publicity and indirectly coerced film and television production companies into purchasing its "drama protection" services, using public opinion online as a means of carrying out extortion.
Police investigators found that the victims of the extortion scheme carried out by Li Mou Jun's group's MCN agency included several well-known actors and the distributors of multiple hit television dramas. The group had already been sued by numerous artists, talent agencies, and film and television production or distribution companies on grounds of reputational infringement (defamation).
Police believe that Li Mou Jun's group seriously disrupted the normal publicity and promotional order of the film and television industry, undermined the online public opinion ecosystem, and infringed upon the lawful rights and interests of production companies (investors) and artists.
After thoroughly investigating the case, the Heyuan Municipal Public Security Bureau deployed more than 100 police officers to conduct operations across eight provinces and two municipalities, arresting all 12 key members of the criminal group. During questioning, Li Mou Jun's gang confessed to the criminal acts they are accused of. The case remains under further investigation.
Reporters from the Yangcheng Evening News learned that earlier, a series of bloggers using usernames such as "XX Zhajie" and "XX Zhadi" had drawn the attention of the Heyuan police.
One of the bloggers was verified as a popular blogger covering currently airing TV dramas, with 1.943 million followers, and their posts had accumulated 161 million reposts, comments, and likes.
The total amount involved in the case has reportedly exceeded 400,000 yuan (approx. 59,000 USD). Police revealed that the group charged between 2,000 and 3,000 yuan (approx. 300-450 USD) per post for deleting content.
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