Fake traffic app developer sentenced to five years in prison, fined US$15,000 amid China’s crackdown on inflated social media engagement


Before his popular fake traffic app Xinyuan was shut down, 26-year-old Cai Kunmiao made 6.3mil yuan in membership fees, according to a court document. The Chinese government is continuing a crackdown on fake online engagement, often used to boost celebrities’ social media accounts. — SCMP

A Chinese app developer was sentenced to five years in prison and given a 100,000-yuan (US$15,345) fine for managing an app that inflated the online popularity of some high-profile pop idols, the latest move in China to crack down on fake Internet traffic.

Cai Kunmiao, 26, was convicted of providing programs that intrude upon computer information systems, according to a court document released last week, detailing a ruling from the People’s Court of Fengtai District in Beijing on December 31. Cai was the developer of two fake traffic apps, Xinyuan and the lesser-known Yingyuanbao.

Subscribe or renew your subscriptions to win prizes worth up to RM68,000!

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Tech News

Exclusive-Amazon likely to face investigation under EU tech rules next year, sources say
US natgas producers chase AI-driven surge in power demand to weather low prices
Snowflake shares surge on rosy forecast, AI deal with Anthropic
Digital banks lead profitability gains among Brazilian lenders, says central bank
PayPal fixes outage that affected thousands worldwide
X's former top policy chief takes job with Elon Musk rival, Sam Altman
Alibaba integrates e-commerce platforms into a single business unit
US watchdog issues final rule to supervise Big Tech payments, digital wallets
Nvidia to build AI school in Indonesia, VP says
A Google PC running Android could be in the works

Others Also Read