“不给钱就黑你！” 网络“黑嘴”乱象亟需重视

Core Viewpoint - A new type of business environment issue has emerged, where self-media accounts, under the guise of "public opinion supervision," fabricate and exaggerate negative information about companies to extort money through so-called "business cooperation" [1][10]. Group 1: Incident Overview - A Shanghai coffee company was forced to pay a "hush fee" of 225,000 yuan due to fabricated negative reports claiming a high closure rate of its stores [1][3]. - The negative article claimed that the company's closure rate exceeded 80% over three years, which was later proven to be unfounded [1][12]. Group 2: Impact on the Company - The dissemination of false information severely damaged the company's commercial trust with partners, leading to the suspension of signed projects and difficulties in pursuing new collaborations [3][5]. - The company faced significant costs in attempting to refute the claims, including legal fees for sending cease-and-desist letters, which amounted to 2,000 yuan per letter [9][12]. Group 3: Extortion Tactics - The perpetrator, identified as Su, targeted medium-sized well-known companies that lacked robust legal and public relations teams, especially during critical business phases such as financing or expansion [9][10]. - Su utilized a network of accounts with over 100,000 followers to create a façade of credibility, while the actual operation was conducted by him alone [10][12]. Group 4: Law Enforcement Response - Following the company's report to the police, an investigation revealed that Su had a systematic approach to extortion, leading to his arrest for extortion [7][14]. - The Shanghai Cyber Administration has initiated actions to combat such "black mouth" incidents, aiming to increase the legal costs for offenders and protect businesses from such threats [14][15]. Group 5: Regulatory Measures - The Central Cyberspace Administration of China launched a special action to address the issue of online extortion targeting businesses, focusing on creating a comprehensive governance system [14][15]. - New measures, such as the "Enterprise Infringement Information Processing Service Package 2.0," have been introduced to assist companies in reporting and gathering evidence against such extortion attempts [15][18].