Hard to guard against! Counterfeit version of ChatGPT, virtual property disputes, 'Double 11' insurance trap...have you fallen into any trap this year?

Author|Qianshan

Reviser|Yan Zheng

In the various incidents exposed by CCTV’s “3·15” party over the years, the technology industry has always been named as the “hardest hit area” ". Rough statistics show that in the past ten years, technology (including telecommunications, digital products, the Internet, and mobile phones) has had the most exposure incidents.

The theme of the Consumer Rights Protection Year in 2023 is “boosting consumer confidence.” The editor is here to throw some light on the situation and take stock of the current status of the companies that have been named over the years. What events have occurred this year that are worthy of attention? See if you have stepped into a trap. If you have stepped into a trap, what are the channels for rights protection?

1. What happened to the companies that were on the “Black List”?

Let’s briefly review the subsequent progress of companies that were exposed in previous years.

1.2022: Hidden Traps of “Free WiFi” App

Reason for exposure: 315 Information Security Laboratory discovered such things as “WiFi Cracking Wizard”, Radar WiFi, and “Leopard WiFi Assistant” There are more than 20 apps with similar functions. Not only can they not help users connect to Wi-Fi, but they can steal users’ private information and continuously push pop-up advertisements.

Follow-up development: Qichacha’s official website shows that the company involved, Guangzhou Yuebao Technology Co., Ltd., was established in 2019 with a registered capital of 1.5 million yuan and is still in business. As for the APP involved, "Yuebao WIFI Assistant", as of March 16, 2022, the software has been removed from the platform. and a fine of 5,000 yuan.

2.2021: A large number of resumes from Zhaopin Recruitment, 51job, Liepin, etc. flow to the black market

Reason for exposure: Zhaopin Recruitment As long as a corporate account purchases a membership, the user's complete resume, including key information such as name, phone number, and email address, can be downloaded without limit. Corporate accounts are also officially sold. Similar situations also occurred on 51job and Liepin.com. Loopholes in the management of corporate accounts have led to a steady stream of personal information flowing into the black market.

Follow-up development: On May 27, 2021, the official website of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security released the "Announcement on the Implementation of Rectification and Reform of Zhaopin Recruitment and Liepin". Zhaopin Recruitment has strengthened the function settings of resume confidentiality; launched a virtual number; launched a function that notifies job seekers when a resume is downloaded by an enterprise; and launched a resume watermark function. Liepin has also launched a privacy account function and canceled online paid resume resume functions.

3.2020: Qutoutiao advertising chaos

Reason for exposure: Qutoutiao, known as the “No. 1 mobile aggregated content”, has not reviewed the qualifications of advertisers, and contains a large number of false advertisements, Propaganda, even illegal advertising such as gambling. Behind some advertisements for “making money while playing on mobile phones” is the industrial chain of buying lottery tickets and illegal gambling.

Subsequent development: After the exposure, Qutoutiao was removed from multiple Android app markets, and its stock price plummeted. On July 17, 2020, Qutoutiao responded and announced rectification measures. According to the Qichacha APP, Shanghai Jifen Culture Communication Co., Ltd., a company of Qutoutiao, was administratively punished by the Shanghai Jiading District Market Supervision and Administration Bureau on October 23, 2020. The result of the punishment was the confiscation of illegal gains of 160,972,500 yuan and a fine of 482,917,500 yuan. .

4.2019: "714 Anti-aircraft Gun" small loan scam

Reason for exposure: "714" refers to the loan cycle which is generally 7 days or 14 days, and "anti-aircraft gun" refers to its high The amount of "decapitation interest" and "overdue fees". The "714 Anti-aircraft Gun" software is operated and promoted by some. The CCTV report focused on naming Rong360, which claims to be “China’s leading mobile financial smart platform” and has a large number of small loan merchants on the platform. To get a loan on Rong360, you need to buy goods that are far from the market price. A loan of 1,000 yuan requires you to buy 200 yuan of products. Not only do users have to bear high beheading interest, but once overdue, overdue fees are also quite staggering. Coupled with endless violent collections, "714 anti-aircraft guns" are even more deadly when they are questioned about asking for money.

Follow-up development: After being exposed, Rong360 APP was quickly removed from the Apple App Store. According to Qichacha’s official website, Beijing Rongshiji Information Technology Co., Ltd., to which “Rong360” belongs, was established on November 10, 2011 with a registered capital of 10 million yuan and is still in business. A fine of 700,000 yuan was imposed on June 4, 2019.

5.2018: Difficulty in refunding shared bicycle fees

Reason for exposure: Kuqi Bicycle deposit is difficult to refund. At the end of September 2017, Kuqi Bicycle encountered problems such as difficulty in refunding deposits and loss of contact with industry and commerce. An investigation by the China Consumers Association in December 2017 found that there were as many as 210,000 complaints about Kuqi Bicycle, involving a total amount of more than 1 billion yuan. That year, in addition to Kuqi Bicycle, shared bicycles such as Wukong Bicycle, 3Vbike, and Xiaolan Bicycle all experienced operating abnormalities, and 34 of the 70 shared bicycle platforms went bankrupt.

Follow-up development: After being named at the March 15 party, Kuqi Bicycle, which had lost contact, had no response. A few months later, Ofo experienced a wave of refunds. Until this year, there was news that ofo may have more than 16 million people whose deposits have not been refunded.

6.2017: Interactive Encyclopedia uses entries to promote false and exaggerated content for commercial profit

Reason for exposure: It is reported that self-created entries on Interactive Encyclopedia are divided into two categories: paid and free. Interactive entries use paid channels to allow users to upload false and exaggerated content. Content that does not meet the requirements and is frozen can be unfrozen after payment. Whether it’s a product or a person, you can spend money to read encyclopedia entries. Hudong Encyclopedia uses false advertising to openly make money and becomes an amplifier of false information.

Follow-up developments: Less than half an hour after the party, the police launched an investigation into the incident. In 2019, Interactive Encyclopedia was acquired by ByteDance, and Pan Haidong, the founder of Interactive Encyclopedia, withdrew. However, the problem of false advertising is still common in the field of encyclopedias and searches.

2. What technological chaos is worth paying attention to on March 15 this year?

1. Phenomenon 1: There are many charging routines for the copycat version of ChatGPT

As ChatGPT became popular overnight, domestic A number of WeChat public accounts, mini programs and other products with names containing "ChatGPT" have emerged. In fact, some unscrupulous merchants take advantage of the high market attention and consumer curiosity to launch counterfeit products.

These Li Gui pretending to be Li Kui often use free trials as a gimmick to attract users to register and then launch paid services. Some charge based on the number of conversations, such as 9.99 yuan/20 times, 99.99 yuan/1300 times, etc.; some charge membership fees, such as 199 yuan for monthly membership, 399 yuan for quarterly membership, 999 yuan for annual membership, etc.; some require viewing of advertisements. be usable.

Moreover, most of these products just capitalize on the popularity of ChatGPT to make money and make profits. Their chat capabilities are far from ChatGPT. Some replies use uniform response techniques, or even answer questions that are not asked, and the quality of the conversation is low. Overall, the user experience of counterfeit products is poor and has had a negative impact on the market. In addition to no after-sales guarantee, some fake applications may contain malware, thereby endangering the security of user devices or data.

2. Phenomenon 2: HowNet was fined for implementing monopolistic behavior

On December 26, 2022, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced that it had imposed administrative penalties on China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) for implementing monopolistic behavior. The penalty decision ordered CNKI to stop illegal activities and imposed a fine of 87.6 million yuan in accordance with the law. So far, CNKI has become another Internet platform that has been slapped with "sky-high" fines for abusing its market dominance. In response, CNKI sincerely accepted and resolutely obeyed, and announced 15 rectification measures. The monopoly dispute related to CNKI came to an end.

Because CNKI occupies more than 50% of the market share in the Chinese academic literature network database service market, and has signed very overbearing "exclusive cooperation agreements" with most core academic journals, squeezing the survival of competitors. Space has raised the "threshold" for entering the market, causing prices to increase significantly every year while operating costs are stable. Monopoly breeds "arrogance", and its monopoly behavior distorts the environment of fair competition and undermines social and public interests. In the end, consumers pay the bill.

3. Phenomenon 3: Apps covered in “invisibility cloak”

We are no strangers to the illegal collection of personal information and infringement of user privacy by some mobile applications. But now some criminals have developed a so-called "transparent" APP. In short, you can't see it at all on the mobile phone desktop. Once such an application is installed on a mobile phone, there will be a risk of massive data theft and privacy leakage.

This kind of illegal software with no file name and transparent icon is difficult to detect without professional intervention. It mainly enters our mobile phones in two ways: the first is to use advertising push and other methods to hide a download link in the "Close" and "Skip" buttons that are easy for users to touch. Once the user inadvertently clicks on it, the background will It will start to download quietly; the second is to install it into the phone through bundled download or silent installation in the background.

4. Phenomenon 4: The suspension and deletion of online games triggers disputes over virtual property infringement

On February 20, 2022, the mobile game "Yunshang Yuyi" expired due to the expiration of its agency agreement with Tencent. It was announced that the game operations, official website and servers would be closed on April 28 of the same year. Users who have paid in the game can choose one of three options among "Nuan Nuan Miracle", "Brilliant Star Road" or "Story of Yanxi Palace: Phoenix Flying" to redeem a value-for-money gift pack.

After the suspension news was announced, many game players expressed dissatisfaction, refused to accept the compensation provided by the game official, and hoped to retain game data. In recent years, some improperly operated online games have caused disputes over virtual property due to "stopping service and deleting files", resulting in consumer complaints that have repeatedly attracted public attention.

How should the game operator deal with the aftermath after the online game is suspended? The China Consumers Association pointed out that regulatory authorities should urge companies to fulfill their responsibilities, consciously safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, and punish illegal activities that infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of consumers in accordance with the law and regulations. Relevant laws and regulations should also be continuously improved to build a solid protection wall for consumers’ virtual property and better protect consumers’ confidence in consumption.

5. Phenomenon 5: The secret behind the “guaranteed price” service of e-commerce platforms

One of the key points of promotion of major e-commerce platforms in the “Double 11” promotion activities in 2022 is “guaranteed price” Serve. However, its implementation effectiveness has aroused public doubts.

Many consumers have reported that the price guarantee regulations of different platforms and merchants are complicated and complicated, and they may be tricked if they are not careful. Not only did I find that the price of the product I purchased at a "high price" was reduced in the middle of the night, but I was also refused to refund the price difference by the merchant on the grounds that "coupons, gifts and other activities are not within the scope of the guaranteed price". Some merchants even remove the live broadcast links of their products to evade the price guarantee rules.

In this regard, the China Consumers Association recommends that consumers should clarify the price guarantee time, price guarantee method, price range and other regulations in advance, and consult merchants and platform customer service in a timely manner. If necessary, keep chat records, screenshots of advertising pages and other evidence to facilitate rights protection in the event of disputes.

3. In case you are tricked, do you know these complaint channels?

Calling the 12315 complaint hotline is undoubtedly the most convenient way.

(1) To make a complaint on the 12315 complaint website, you must follow its overall process. Consumers are required to fill in the true information truthfully, which is relatively more time-consuming.

(2) Call the mayor’s hotline on 315 Consumer Rights Protection Day.

(3) Complain to the local consumer association or seek exposure from authoritative media organizations.

(4) Complain to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau.

(5) If all the above are ineffective, the only option is to file a lawsuit with the People's Court.

4. Conclusion

From a macro perspective, the annual "3·15" shows the development and trend changes of my country's consumer market from the side. From a micro perspective, it is also related to vital interests of each of us. At this stage, 3·15 has developed into a national media event. It is a big test that companies and brands need to face head-on. It is also a grand event for consumers to complain and defend their rights. The countdown to this year's CCTV "3.15" party has begun. Which areas will receive focus? Which companies will be on the list? Which brands' public relations departments have to work hard all night? We'll see.

Reference link:

​​https://www.php.cn/link/e61eaa38aed621dd776d0e67cfeee366​​

​​https ://www.php.cn/link/b6af2c9703f203a2794be03d443af2e3​​

​​https://www.php.cn/link/ef8b5fcc338e003145ac9c134754db71​​

​​https://www.php.cn/link/9f9a2e9ab3dc74b58ef7c5b974807751​​

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