Free trial reading hides recharge tricks behind it, and there are soft pornographic novel advertisements mixed in the information app
There are soft pornographic novel advertisements mixed in the information app. Opening a member can unlock the full text
It costs over 1700 yuan to finish reading a soft pornographic online novel
Investigation motivation
Recently, Mr. Zhang, a reader from Beijing, reported to a reporter from the Legal Daily that while browsing news on an information platform, he found recommended information for soft pornographic novels. The beginning of the novel is not as direct as the description of pornographic novels, but it can be imaginative, and continuing to read requires a fee.
"This information platform has a wide audience, and my child downloaded this app from the tablet they use. If they come into contact with such novels, it will definitely have a negative impact." Mr. Zhang said that large information platforms have seen advertisements for soft pornographic novels, and there is also a suspicion of inducing recharge. This issue needs to be taken seriously.
For this, the reporter conducted an investigation and interview.
"Male nurse's oral statement: Night shift, I heard in the women's restroom..." This is a message displayed on an information app, with the words "story" printed in the bottom left corner, "57000 people have read it.". The top and bottom of this information are all news information.
Click on it, it is a novel developed from the perspective of a male nurse. The trial reading content is relatively "subtle", and it abruptly stops when "I can no longer control myself under the teasing of Wang Yan". Below is "As low as 0.3 yuan/day, unlock the full text by opening a membership".
Recently, under the guidance of Mr. Zhang in Beijing, a reporter from the Legal Daily opened the above-mentioned information app and saw this message. The reporter's investigation found that not only this information app, but also many apps have promotional advertisements similar to soft pornography and even pornographic novels.
The interviewed experts believe that the pornographic novels appearing on information apps themselves do not have literary content and are intended to attract traffic and profit. They are suspected of violating laws and regulations and urgently need to be rectified. Platforms should adopt a cautious attitude and conduct necessary and moderate review of information content advertisements. Regulatory authorities should also take timely action to investigate and punish such pornographic information and induced recharge behaviors.
Soft pornographic novels mixed in news and information
"This is too blatant!" Not long ago, Mr. Wang from Tianjin was browsing news on an app when he saw a novel message titled "This book is too exciting, it looks like an afternoon", accompanied by "pictures of beautiful women". He casually clicked in and took a glance, but the trial content was not pleasing to the eye, "like little yellow text.".
Due to being in a public place, he quickly closed the interface and felt his cheeks burning. Continuing to browse other news, but after a few clicks, this information reappeared before my eyes. "I just want to read the news, but the platform insists on pushing me this type of pornographic novel, which is too much," Mr. Wang said.
Mr. Zhao has also encountered a similar experience. Mr. Zhao works in a company in Pudong New Area, Shanghai. When he commutes to and from work by subway, he is accustomed to using his phone to read news and information. He found that there are now many soft pornographic and sexually suggestive novels appearing on some information platforms.
"The novel advertisement is very eye-catching, with a large amount of suggestive language in the trial reading section that makes people want to continue reading. However, as soon as it reaches the 'critical stage', the novel is interrupted, and the following is the charging stage," said Mr. Zhao.
According to the prompts from the interviewees, the reporter downloaded multiple apps and found that the novel promotion advertisements mixed with information and news do contain some soft pornographic content, but often do not directly display "sex", but mainly focus on imaginative scene descriptions. When it feels like a pornographic plot is about to appear, it will abruptly stop. "Perhaps there is no mention of pornography, but readers can tell what it is written at a glance," Mr. Zhao said.
Searching for keywords such as "novel" on these apps will also trigger advertising push for such soft pornographic novels. In addition, the investigation by reporters found that such soft pornographic novels also have their presence on some browsers, short video platforms, and search platforms. For example, on a search app, every time a journalist swipes through three or four pieces of information, they will see advertisements for such soft pornographic novels pop up.
According to Zhu Wei, deputy director of the Communication Law Research Center of China University of Political Science and Law, this form of novel advertising first appeared on some platforms used by minors, and then extended to various platforms. Through the "trilogy" of platform drainage, official account/app jump, and paid unlocking, novel advertising allows users to pay to read the remaining chapters.
"When setting up fixed advertising spaces, platforms generally adopt a programmatic purchasing advertising model. The platform is responsible for setting up advertising spaces, and the advertising content is processed by the trading center. However, regardless of the publishing form used, the platform should strictly review the advertising content and authenticity." Zhu Wei said.
Free trial reading of hidden recharge routines behind the scenes
The interviewee said that as adults, it is easy to understand that this type of soft pornographic novel advertisement is aimed at attracting users to click and pay.
The reporter saw that on a search app, novel advertising slogans such as "thoroughly getting the upper hand, content with high passion" are everywhere. Once clicked, it will redirect to the novel trial reading interface, with a sexy female image at the top constantly jumping. The main text of the novel is only a few short lines, and the content is quite provocative. Below prompt: To be continued, with limited space, the following content will be even more exciting. Follow the study to read the original text.
After continuously clicking according to the instructions, the reporter finally entered the "XX study". "The content is stimulating and the platform does not allow it to be displayed. Please follow the prompts below to continue reading." The reporter found that after a lot of "hard work" operation, the content inside is more explicit than the novel advertisement and trial reading display, and it is undoubtedly classified as a pornographic novel. After browsing Chapter 2, the system prompts "Support genuine creation, continue reading after unlocking". Below are different recharge limits, with a minimum of 29 yuan and a maximum of 199 yuan.
The recharge amount will be exchanged for "book currency", and readers need to use book currency to unlock each chapter. Although there are paid unlocking channels, readers cannot know the price of each chapter without choosing to recharge.
On another app, the reporter found that multiple soft pornographic novel advertisements also have recharge routines. After trying out a portion for free, they will receive paid content, with 110 "book coins" per chapter. The minimum recharge amount is 39 yuan, which can be exchanged for 3900 "book coins". The reporter randomly opened a novel, which consists of 1612 chapters. After reading it, a total of 176660 "book coins" are needed, equivalent to 1766.6 yuan in Chinese yuan.
When the reporter was preparing to take screenshots of these inappropriate content for children, a prompt appeared on the interface: "The current interface involves private content and screenshots are not allowed.".
Some online writers told reporters that these types of novels are mostly written by online writers. Writers will describe soft pornographic scenes at the beginning to attract readers' attention and pay for reading. After payment, some subsequent chapters will involve pornographic content, while others will not, which is just a trick for readers to induce recharge consumption.
"This type of online literature cannot be called a work at all. It does not have literary quality and should be classified as illegal content. The behavior of online writers using it to attract and profit is also suspected of illegal, polluting the online environment and seriously harming the physical and mental health of young people." Zhu Wei believes.
Platforms should adhere to the obligation of prudent review
The reporter noticed that many of these soft pornographic novels and pornographic novels are pushed through pop-up windows.
The interviewed experts pointed out that the relevant ministries and commissions had jointly issued the Regulations on the Management of Internet Pop up Information Push Service, and the Internet pop up information push service providers should implement the main responsibility of information content management, establish and improve four management systems, including information content audit, ecological governance, data security and personal information protection, and minors protection. It has been clarified that whoever pops up will be responsible.
Zhu Wei said that the "Management Regulations" focus on solving the problems that arise in key links such as pop-up news information push, pop-up information content orientation, and pop-up advertising, forming a more comprehensive and three-dimensional law enforcement system. The next step is to strictly enforce the law and strengthen platform responsibility.
Zhang Yanxia, Senior Partner of Beijing Jingshi Law Firm, believes that according to the "Management Regulations", "whoever pops up the window is responsible", the platform can independently decide whether to publish advertisements. During the advertising process, the platform collects advertising fees from advertisers. From the perspective of consistent rights and responsibilities, the platform should also bear certain regulatory responsibilities. Consumers trust the platform, so they will also have a certain degree of trust in the advertisements published by the platform, which objectively requires the platform to have an obligation to review the advertising release. At the same time, due to limitations such as information asymmetry and professional capabilities, platforms should exercise a "prudent review obligation" for advertising releases and conduct necessary and moderate reviews of advertising content.
"This' prudent review obligation 'falls between complete formal review and substantive review, and belongs to a high degree of duty of care rather than a basic duty of care, which requires the platform to review advertisements from the perspective of professionals rather than ordinary people." Zhang Yanxia said.
As for how to deal with the chaos of soft pornographic novel advertisements, Zhang Yanxia said that for Internet enterprises, they should follow the spirit of being responsible for Internet users and focus on the long-term development of enterprises to ensure the legitimacy of the platform's publishing content and publishing methods, including the legitimacy of the advertising content pushed, and improve their discrimination ability through technical means. Regulatory authorities need to strengthen supervision, set up convenient reporting channels, respond to public concerns in a timely manner, and increase penalties for platforms that persist in education.
