Chinese iPhone Users Flooded with Spam through iMessage
Since Apple handed over their iCould operations in China to the Chinese Guizhou-Cloud Big Data company, iPhone users are bombarded with trash ads in iMessage.
Intrusive advertisements, ranging from gambling promotions to non-solicited pornography, are flooding Chinese iPhones. Many users have had enough of them, and are looking for solutions.
The problem of spam ads is a universal one, but for iPhone users in China, they are especially bombarded with spam through iMessage.
Recently, several Chinese media outlets, including CCTV, have published articles and videos about Apple’s iMessage ‘trash’ messages flooding into Chinese iPhone users’ inbox. These messages contain various kinds of advertising, most of which are illicit.
A common junk ad in iMessage. The sender’s address is an email address with a combination of random numbers and letters. Source: CCTV news
The spam problem has also been a topic of debate on social media this week, where thousands of commenters complain about receiving loads of different ‘trash’ messages, primarily about gambling, purchasing agents, and sexual solicitation.
Even though iPhone users report and delete the messages, new ones keep on flooding in – and there seemingly is no solution for the issue yet.
Chinese media report that there is a rise in companies focusing on spam advertising. They build on massive iMessage user databases to send out ads to specific user groups based on their demographics, gender, age, sex, etc.
Cartoon comparing junk iMessage ads to mosquitos. Source: CCTV news.
The problem of Apple’s illicit spam adds to US-China tensions because of the trade war, with state media accusing Apple for failing to solve the problem.
While Chinese media outlets seem to be pointing fingers at Apple, many Weibo users are blaming the new company responsible for Apple’s iCloud services in mainland China, namely Guizhou-Cloud Big Data (云上贵州公司).
In February of this year, Apple handed over their iCould operations in China to a Chinese company to comply with government policies that require Chinese citizens’ data to be held within the country.
One user comments: “We didn’t have this [problem] before. Only after Guizhou-Cloud took over did it occur. Classic China.”
Another Weibo user wrote: “Wake up everyone! State enterprise Guizhou-Cloud is responsible for iCloud, and is selling user data on the black market. Why would you now blame Apple for this problem???”
For the many iPhone users searching for a quick fix to the annoying spam problem, Weibo account Digital Tail (@数字尾巴) offers a simple solution: “If you only use your message center to receive phone verifications and notifications, then you might as well just turn iMessage off.”
On August 2nd, Cult of Mac reported that Apple is now working with Chinese telecoms firms to find a way to reduce the flood of spam in iMessage.
Some Weibo commenters, however, think there are more important things to deal with first: “Solve the spam ads on Weibo, first,” they write: “They’re more intrusive anyway than those on iPhone.”
Ryan Gandolfo is an Economics graduate from Miami who has worked and lived in Shanghai, Baoding, and Guangzhou. He is interested in China's growing role in the global economy and closely follows the development of major Chinese technology firms.
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The introduction of a Douyin novel feature, that would enable content creators to impose a fee for accessing their short video content, has sparked discussions across Chinese social media. Although the feature would benefit creators, many Douyin users are skeptical.
News that Chinese social media app Douyin is rolling out a new feature which allows creators to introduce a paywall for their short video content has triggered online discussions in China this week.
The feature, which made headlines on November 16, is presently in the testing phase. A number of influential content creators are now allowed to ‘paywall’ part of their video content.
Douyin is the hugely popular app by Chinese tech giant Bytedance. TikTok is the international version of the Chinese successful short video app, and although they’re often presented as being the same product, Douyin and Tiktok are actually two separate entities.
In addition to variations in content management and general usage, Douyin differs from TikTok in terms of features. Douyin previously experimented with functionalities such as charging users for accessing mini-dramas on the platform or the ability to tip content creators.
The pay-to-view feature on Douyin would require users to pay a certain fee in Douyin coins (抖币) in order to view paywalled content. One Douyin coin is equivalent to 0.1 yuan ($0,014). The platform itself takes 30% of the income as a service charge.
According to China Securities Times or STCN (证券时报网), Douyin insiders said that any short video content meeting Douyin’s requirements could be set as “pay-per-view.”
Creators, who can set their own paywall prices, should reportedly meet three criteria to qualify for the pay-to-view feature: their account cannot have any violation records for a period of 90 days, they should have at least 100,000 followers, and they have to have completed the real-name authentication process.
On Douyin and Weibo, Chinese netizens express various views on the feature. Many people do not think it would be a good idea to charge money for short videos. One video blogger (@小片片说大片) pointed out the existing challenge of persuading netizens to pay for longer videos, let alone expecting them to pay for shorter ones.
“The moment I’d need to pay money for it, I’ll delete the app,” some commenters write.
This statement appears to capture the prevailing sentiment among most internet users regarding a subscription-based Douyin environment. According to a survey conducted by the media platform Pear Video, more than 93% of respondents expressed they would not be willing to pay for short videos.
An online poll by Pear Video showed that the majority of respondents would not be willing to pay for short videos on Douyin.
“This could be a breaking point for Douyin,” one person predicts: “Other platforms could replace it.” There are more people who think it would be the end of Douyin and that other (free) short video platforms might take its place.
Some commenters, however, had their own reasons for supporting a pay-per-view function on the platform, suggesting it would help them solve their Douyin addiction. One commenter remarked, “Fantastic, this might finally help me break free from watching short videos!” Another individual responded, “Perhaps this could serve as a remedy for my procrastination.”
As discussions about the new feature trended, Douyin’s customer service responded, stating that it would eventually be up to content creators whether or not they want to activate the paid feature for their videos, and that it would be up to users whether or not they would be interested in such content – otherwise they can just swipe away.
Another social media user wrote: “There’s only one kind of video I’m willing to pay for, and it’s not on Douyin.”
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Avideo that has circulated on Chinese social media since October 19 shows how an alleged worker at a Tsingtao Beer factory climbs over a wall at the raw material production site and starts to urinate.
The incident reportedly occurred at the Tsingtao Beer Factory No. 3, a subsidiary of the Tsingtao Brewing Company, located in Qingdao, Shandong.
This is the viral video showing how an alleged worker at the Tsingtao Beer Factory 3 climbs over a wall at the raw material production site and starts to urinate. Many people think it's an undercover operation by a rivaling company: one person peed, another leaked the video? 🍻🤢 pic.twitter.com/eJcYljo2aQ
After the video went viral, the Tsingtao Brewery Company issued a statement that they took the incident very seriously and immediately report it to the authorities, who have started an investigation into the case. Meanwhile, the specific batch in production has been halted and shut off.
The incident has caused concern among consumers, and some commenters on social media wonder if this was the first time something like this has happened. “How do we know this hasn’t happened many times before?”
Others speculate about what might have motivated the man to urinate at the production site. There are those who believe that the man is part of an undercover operation orchestrated by a rivaling company, aimed at discrediting Tsingtao. It’s even suggested that there were two ‘moles’ leaking in this incident: one doing the urinating, and the other doing the video ‘leak.’
Meanwhile, there are voices who are critical of Tsingtao, suggesting that the renowned beer brand has not effectively addressed the ‘pee gate’ scandal. It remains uncertain how this incident will impact the brand, but some netizens are already expressing reservations about ordering a Tsingtao beer as a result.
But there are also those who joke about the “pissing incident,” wondering if Tsingtao Beer might soon launch a special “urine flavored beer.”
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