Chapter 118 Tumi 09
In the ward at night, Chi Li asked, "What criminal evidence have you collected so far?"
He paused and reminded, "The chain of evidence must be complete, so the other party won't change their confession. And it must be substantial enough. Also, we can't let them know our police's true intentions yet."
That way the other party will destroy more evidence, making it more difficult for them to prove the crime.
Luo Siwei began to count carefully.
"First, we can disclose their tax issues. Second, their software is suspected of illegally collecting user information, and company executives are suspected of insider trading, intentionally leaking public information, and monitoring users, profiting from these illegal activities. We already have a complete chain of evidence for all of this."
Chi Li nodded: "I've heard some of these things before. It seems that the Municipal Bureau has investigated, but there haven't been many results, and there haven't been any punishments."
"At the time, the city shut it down, and Xinming Media singled out a few programmers as culprits and fined them. But now we have emails proving they were stealing data all along, and all with Huayanming's approval."
Luo Siwei continued, "Also, several of their affiliated troll companies frequently launch online blogs against each other, euphemistically calling them 'online team-building,' but their real purpose is to stir up disputes and spark public controversy. It's like a fight between two opposing sides. It appears to be a quarrel between people with different views, but in reality, the ones instigating the fight on the left and the right are also theirs, leading unsuspecting netizens into conflict, even inducing cyberbullying and doxxing. Ultimately, both sides suffer, while they remain behind the scenes, while the platform reaps the traffic."
Chi Li asked: "Is there any evidence?"
Luo Siwei nodded. "We've already found several related incidents, including emails personally approved by Hua Yanming and his secretary. They instructed their subsidiaries to hype up topics in different directions, and some of these incidents have had extremely negative consequences."
"Finally, we discovered on their senior management's computers that they were developing an AI software that aims to replace traditional water armies."
Luo Siwei's expression was serious.
When Chi Li heard this, he frowned slightly. These things were just fantasy in the past, but with the rapid development of technology in recent years, this situation can now be implemented on the technical level.
Luo Siwei said, "I think this is extremely harmful. We've obtained some of their internal documents and test data. Once this kind of AI is successfully developed, it will automatically generate responses when it encounters sensitive topics such as the wealth gap, gender issues, and even sensitive terms such as betrothal gifts, buying a house, and showing off wealth. Thousands of comments will be posted below, and the response will spread virally across various platforms, causing negative social impact."
Chi Li lowered his head and said, "This amount should be enough."
Deceiving, controlling, and flooding the world with false information are the real evidence of Donglan Xinming Media's crimes.
Chi Li thought for a moment and said, "I'll discuss this with Director Chen. Have the team organize the evidence and send it over, and have the publicity staff work overtime to write the manuscript."
The plan was quickly approved, and because of the seriousness of the matter, it was reported to the provincial government. The city bureau's publicity staff and the task force worked overtime to quickly produce a factually accurate and precisely worded article.
This promotional article was reviewed by leaders at all levels and confirmed to be correct before being published on the Donglan Police account on major platforms at 8 pm.
After the article was published, public opinion instantly changed somewhat, but Luo Siwei frowned after looking at the situation.
Nowadays, news on major platforms is very dependent on traffic. Although some people read the articles released by the police, the number is not enough.
Those posts that incite emotions and say that there are problems with the police will become hot topics as soon as they are released, but the truth that they write with reasoned evidence cannot be spread.
Luo Siwei felt a little depressed. Those sarcastic online chatter was still controlling the narrative. She held her forehead and said, "Sure enough, this battle won't be easy. The internet is their home turf..."
Chi Li comforted her in return: "There is no problem with the plan. I will communicate with the leaders and have more official media forward it. The relevant newspapers will also publish promotional articles tomorrow."
Luo Siwei shook his head slightly: "Our propaganda department's caliber is limited... This isn't the first time we've been caught in silence."
In the past, when solving cases, Luo Siwei often felt pressure from the internet. However, as police officers, they needed to be cautious and keep the cases under investigation confidential, which often made them feel uncomfortable.
Chi Li said: "I think you should not be anxious and think of another way. Even in the worst case scenario, time will prove everything."
That's true, but Luo Siwei hopes that what she does can get more recognition.
It feels like fighting hard on the battlefield, but when you turn around, you find that you are fighting alone with no one behind you.
Luo Siwei hopes to gain more understanding and support from ordinary people as they strive to fight against the darkness.
Is there any other way to attract more attention from the public?
Luo Siwei thought hard but still couldn't think of a good solution.
Time passed minute by minute, and it was already late at night. When she was at a loss, Su Ye Nan called.
Luo Siwei called out "Hey".
Su Ye Nan said, "Lolo, I heard about what happened in Xinming today, and I also read the press release you issued."
"Yes, we went to check on Xinming today." She paused and said, "I'm sorry, according to regulations, we can't accept media interviews. So I can't tell you the relevant information."
There have been too many things going on recently, and those cases are like heavy stones weighing on her heart.
Especially because of Mu Yuexin's situation, Luo Siwei was intentionally distancing herself from her classmates. Su Yenan worked in the media, and while they had a good relationship, it absolutely couldn't affect their work, and she couldn't reveal any information to her, as that would only harm both of them.
Su Ye Nan said: "I'm not calling you to ask about the situation. I know that what you said is true..."
Luo Siwei sighed and said, "But... it seems that not many people read the police article..."
Su Yanan said, "I've noticed. Xinming has been in this field for many years and has many partner companies. Those companies are avoiding this news, and the platform hasn't injected any traffic. There's only a few online scams." Then she said, "I'm calling to tell you, Luoluo, I have accounts and I know some personal accounts. I can help you spread the police news. This is my personal behavior... I hope I can help you, the police."
Luo Siwei felt a warmth in her heart, and then she worriedly asked, "But Ye Nan, will this matter affect your work? Will it cause you trouble?"
Su Ye Nan smiled and said, "Let me tell you something. I've changed jobs and have completed all the resignation procedures. I was planning to tell you after I've sorted things out. The person in charge of the new company is one of my seniors, and he's very righteous. He was the one who forwarded this information to me."
Then she continued, "Lolo, I chose to study media because I wanted to be able to convey the truth to the public. If I can't do that and only prioritize traffic, then I'm using the media to make money, which goes against my original intention. Also, I believe that there are many people who study and work in media who have the same original intention as me."
Luo Siwei said: "Thank you."
"Also, you police have many concerns. You can't disclose certain details, and you can't respond to questions. Your article, while well-reasoned and clear, simply states the facts and fails to resonate with migrant workers."
Having said that, Su Ye Nan changed the subject.
"But we're different. My colleagues and I have all worked for Donglan Xinming Media in the past, and we have a deep understanding of some of these issues. Back then, we only had one-sided information and didn't understand the underlying intentions. But today, after reviewing it, we've uncovered a number of clues. Xinming Media has long been deliberately manipulating public opinion and engaging in malicious activities. They're deliberately sowing anxiety and discord, using whatever means necessary to distort the truth and attract attention."
"So, in addition to forwarding the police news, I will also summarize what I know later and publish a separate article exposing the truth, exposing what I know."
Luo Siwei reminded her: "Then you must pay attention and write down the true situation with solid evidence. Xinming is anxious now, and I'm afraid they will bite people randomly."
Su Ye Nan said: "Don't worry, I'm also a veteran in the media industry with many years of experience. I know my limits."
On the Internet, it is like a war of public opinion without the smoke of gunpowder.
A war is about to break out.
At 10 p.m., other accounts began to repost and publish related news. The police message finally got through, and some former employees of Xinming Media bravely testified against the company's criminal activities.
Luo Siwei recognized one of the accounts, called Xinnan Yehua, as belonging to Su Yenan. Her articles had catchy titles, explosive content, and were well-reasoned and well-founded.
Afterwards, the situation began to gradually reverse, with new news appearing with every refresh.
Luo Siwei began to feel that they were not the only ones fighting alone, and the power of media people had joined in.
More and more people have seen the truth.
"I've long suspected their software was monitoring me in real time, and now I finally have proof. As long as I say something, they'll immediately recommend relevant content to me."
"So they did so many terrible things. No wonder the police came to investigate."
"It's not enough to make dirty money, they're trying to get both sides. It's fine if they're just trying to get both sides, but they're also trying to make us quarrel with AI. Do they think everyone is stupid?"
"I just thought the fight last time was so bizarre and left me completely bewildered. It turns out they were the ones behind it."
In conjunction with the Internet police's ban on water army accounts, people's real opinions were pushed to the front and their numbers gradually became dominant.
Perhaps those people can guide public opinion, but they cannot stop the public from speaking out.
By the early morning, the situation had become clearly one-sided.
Donglan Xinming Media sent a lawyer's letter, saying that some individual accounts spread rumors in order to attract attention, and that they would pursue legal responsibility against the accounts involved.
But now the masses have understood the truth and are no longer willing to be used as pawns by them.
Soon, this post caused ridicule from netizens.
The first hot comment posted the police article.
"Look at what the police say. Can they still frame you? Or are you planning to sue the police as well?"
The following commentary from Xinnan Night Talk follows: "I have acted uprightly and stood firm. Everything I wrote is true, and I am willing to bear legal responsibility for my personal words."
By one o'clock in the morning, this lawyer's letter had been forwarded hundreds of thousands of times and had tens of thousands of comments.
The Donglan Xinming Media account shamefully closed the comments section.
Seeing all this, Luo Siwei felt his blood boiling and he was willing to work overtime for another month.
The next morning, just after daybreak, the first thing Luo Siwei did when he opened his eyes was to open his mobile phone to check the latest battle situation.
The lawyer's letter warning has been deleted by them themselves.
Luo Siwei breathed a long sigh of relief. The era of Donglan City's media being controlled was over.
The author has something to say:
This article is fictional, all companies are fictitious, the situations involved are not unique cases, and there are no prototypes. Please do not link them to reality in the comments section. Thank you.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
