Chinese Top Celebs Busted on Massive Paid Social Media Following

ZHANG YUSHUO

(Yicai Global) Feb. 25 — Chinese celebrities, including TFBoys’ Yi Yangqianxi, actor Zhu Yilong, and rapper Cai Xukun, have allegedly been faking their huge successes on social media.

A blog post that promotes a Chinese artist’s new music video has been shared by more than 100 million times on Sina Weibo, which would mean that one out of each three users of the microblogging platform has reposted the video, state-run CCTV said in a report yesterday.

Machines — not humans — are behind these shares, said Cao Yongshou, the president of a data company in Beijing. Fans and agencies may also buy followers on behalf of the stars and paid traffic may extend to other platforms, including video application TikTok, according to the report.

Many entertainers have bought these services, a seller on a Chinese e-commerce platform boasted. The vendor’s basic package of CNY10 (USD1.5) comes with 400 followers on Weibo or 100 paid reposters that can target a specific region.

Weibo has strengthened its cooperation with public security departments and other companies to crack down on fraud, according to the Shanghai-headquartered firm which adjusted its interface on Feb. 3 to show a maximum of 1 million+ reposts and comments.

Editor: Emmi Laine