On April 14th, it was reported that platforms such as Douyin, WeChat, and Weibo have taken action to officially ban accounts associated with internet-famous cat "Thurman猫一杯".
On April 12th, the Hangzhou police announced the investigation results of the "Lost Homework Book of Qin Lang" incident: Upon investigation, it was found that in order to attract followers and drive traffic, netizens Xu (female, 29 years old, online alias "Thurman猫一杯") and her colleague Xue (male, 30 years old) jointly planned and fabricated the script for the series of videos titled "Found Homework Book of Primary School Student Qin Lang." They later purchased winter vacation homework books online, filmed relevant videos with their smartphones, and disseminated them on multiple online platforms, causing serious consequences.
Currently, the public security organs have imposed administrative penalties on Xu, Xue, and the company where they work in accordance with the law.
Shortly after, "Thurman Cat One Cup" posted a video on social media and bowed in apology.
According to QCC, the controversial blogger is associated with 6 companies. Among them, Guangzhou Herman Network Technology Co., Ltd. has registered multiple "Cat a Cup, THURMAN Cat a Cup" trademarks.
According to CCTV reports, behind many so-called internet celebrities and traffic, there are similar company structures manipulating traffic, which are known as MCN agencies. In the process of cracking down on online rumors, rectifying the chaos of MCN agency information content is a key focus. MCN agencies are various institutions that can provide content planning, production, publicity, fan management, signing, and agency services for internet celebrities and so-called self-media.
MCN agencies have a wide range of business types, strong mobilization capabilities, and significant social impact in the field of internet information content services. Simply put, MCNs are the "hidden hands" behind internet celebrities' success.
Currently, over 90% of internet celebrities are signed with MCN agencies. According to preliminary statistics, among the top website platforms, about 40% of accounts with over 10 million fans are signed with MCN agencies.
Legal experts point out that sometimes, when false information emerges, the instigator behind it is not just the account itself but also the related MCN agency it's signed with. In order to generate buzz, these agencies often create a confirmation effect by circulating hot topics through various accounts and publishing homogenized content. Therefore, when issues arise, netizens are often misled.
Related laws also have specific provisions for this. For example, last year, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued a notice specifically on strengthening the management of self-media, which requires platforms to strengthen management of MCNs. For instance, if an MCN is found to have published false information or spread false information through matrix methods, platforms must expel them, and certain restrictions and measures must be imposed.
The CCTV anchor emphasized that the true logic of traffic monetization should be to provide the public with high-quality and reliable content, winning sustainable traffic by offering content that is both high-quality and nourishing, thereby earning legitimate revenue. It should not devolve into blindly seeking attention at the cost of integrity.
For self-media and MCN agencies, numerous facts have proven that relentlessly pursuing traffic without principles will ultimately lead to being abandoned by the majority of netizens. Moral boundaries must not be crossed, and legal red lines must not be touched. The trend of self-media fabricating information must be halted.
