CCTV Exposes “Black Business” of Internet Troll Farms: 108 Yuan To Ban a WeChat Account Instantly

CNBC AI News, July 7th – A recent exposé by CCTV’s “Finance Investigation” program has pulled back the curtain on the shadowy world of online “opinion manipulation” or “internet mercenaries.” Beyond the typical engagement-boosting tactics like fake reviews and inflated follower counts, these unscrupulous operators are now leveraging the threat of account suspension as a lucrative new revenue stream.

The investigation uncovered what is described as a “comprehensive multi-platform business website” offering services for illicit operations.

This platform, identified as “Ju Xin,” stands out as a highly consolidated hub for digital gray market activities, offering a full spectrum of services from follower growth and view inflation to traffic generation and reputation management.

Notably, “reporting services” have emerged as the top-ranked offering on this platform, with its reach extending to various operations across popular Chinese platforms such as Xiaohongshu, Douyin, WeChat Channels, and Taobao. This signifies a fresh, albeit nefarious, avenue for these online operatives.

These mercenary players are adept at exploiting the very rules and regulations designed to govern internet platforms, turning them into tools for extortion and profit through the threat of account suspension.

For instance, permanently deactivating a WeChat account can be accomplished for as little as 108 yuan (approximately $15).

This illicit trade has even fostered a specialized sub-ecosystem, with individuals recruiting and training teenagers and the unemployed in the dark arts of account manipulation, forming organized “account banning guilds.”

According to the report, a journalist paid a 50 yuan (approximately $7) fee and received a minute-long tutorial video detailing the process of using specialized software to capture chat logs from targeted users.

Furthermore, the operatives can manipulate backend systems to fabricate evidence of policy violations, such as falsely accusing users of posting inappropriate content, thereby securing account suspensions.