Click on the home page of the mobile browser, the beautiful woman wearing black silk accompanied by the advertisement comes into view, accidentally click on the advertisement after the mobile phone suddenly has more software in the download, and quickly wants to exit the page and have one more advertisement... Mobile browsers have repeatedly attracted attention due to chaos. In November 2020, the Cyberspace Administration of China deployed a special campaign to carry out special rectification actions on issues such as "soft pornography" information on the Internet.
It was another year of March 15, Nandu reporter measured 11 mobile phone browsers and found that some of them still have soft pornography and edge ball phenomenon, and the advertising pictures pushed by the browser are almost naked women. In addition, there are browsers that force download apps, ads that can't be turned off, and browsers that recommend medical ads that are suspected of violating the law.
Diversion to paid "pornography dating software"
In the special rectification action of the Cyberspace Administration of China in November 2020 to carry out problems such as online "soft pornography" information, for those containing sexual innuendo and sexual provocation tendencies, especially through yoga, fitness, street photography, Cosplay and other themes, focusing on displaying all kinds of soft pornographic information such as low-cut, breast-revealing, black silk, short skirts, bottom pants or close-ups of human body parts such as hips, waists and legs, as well as the use of such information to blog eyeballs, platforms, accounts and business entities to earn traffic to carry out key governance. Subsequently, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hebei and other places have successively carried out centralized rectification of the "soft pornography" problem, focusing on platforms such as browsers.
In March 2022, Nandu reporters once again investigated and found that on multiple mobile browser platforms, soft pornography such as title parties and soft pornography edge balls still existed, draining pornography-related comics, novels, live broadcasts, chat software and so on. Sometimes, soft pornography is also packaged as content in the fields of technology, finance, and so on.
Taking the Xuandong browser as an example, an advertisement titled "Huawei large-screen folding screen price is still high, 5G + Hongmeng + Kirin processor", the main content is "I choose technology Baijia number", but the picture is almost naked women. Click on the advertisement to jump to the download page of Bug Comics, "Massive undeleted comics to watch for free", the page is full of pornographic comics with the words "voyeurism" and other words in the title. There are also a number of browser push ads containing the same city "dating" software, the download page ming huang huang wrote "the same city quick appointment, only play real, real community, share girlfriend click to download about the cannon special App" and so on. Some software will have a customer service reception after registration, asking about age preferences and cities, and promising to arrange corresponding activities.
On March 14, the official response of Xuandong Browser to Nandu reporter said that the browser is only a developer, directly docking advertising content on the Huawei advertising platform Such as Quick Use Advertising Platform, and does not do advertising review. In addition, the browser has been removed from the application platform, and somehow it can still be downloaded in some mobile application markets.
In the advertisement of Jiujiu Browser, a dating software advertisement called "Just Talk" appears frequently, and after completing identity registration, there will be multiple avatars for female users to send private messages, including many suggestive text, as well as exaggerated and revealing pictures. After running out of free messages, you will be transferred to the process of recharging or doing quests to earn coins.
Nandu reporter saw in the actual test that multiple browsers use beautiful pictures with revealing clothes and associative titles to induce users to click. In the quick browser, the home page push has a vague title and a promotion of family ethics. UC Browser, on the other hand, uses some suspenseful "edge balls" to drain the novel software.
In this regard, The Quick Browser responded to the Nandu reporter that all the ads in the browser product are from the Baidu Advertising Alliance. "We believe that Baidu Advertising Alliance, as a brand partner, can provide legal and compliant advertising content to our users. According to what you said, we found that this situation does exist after self-examination, but it is not common. ”
The platform said it would temporarily close all Baidu affiliate ads in the product and push baidu advertising alliances to solve their download advertising problems.
In response to the recommended column "edge ball" advertisement that appeared in the actual test, on March 14, UC Browser told nandu reporter that all ads in the application software were reviewed by robots and manuals, and the ads on the novel page could not be turned off in order to increase the income of the author, and if they needed to close, they should recharge members. If the homepage pushes an advertisement that the user is not interested in, you can select the blocking function in the lower right corner of the advertisement, and there will be no ad flow within 7 days after blocking.
It said that if users encounter edge ball ads, they can complain in the link sent by customer service, and customer service will contact advertisers to verify and remove them from the shelves later. Why do manually reviewed ads still have edge-skimming content? The staff said that some advertisers may have tampered with the landing interface of the advertisement.
On the issue of soft pornography, Ma Ce, the founder lawyer of Kenting Law Firm, analyzed to Nandu reporters that as a basic functional software, the preset browser enjoys the preferential right of "no uninstallation" to a certain extent, so the browser is still an important traffic center of the mobile Internet, with a strong user cluster effect. At the same time, browsers are not like packaged apps, which are difficult to control and monitor through the continuous jumping of domain names and page updates, which also causes browsers to become hotbeds of soft pornography.
Ma Ce believes that browser products are no longer neutral software in the traditional sense, and more and more browsers have essentially become content platforms for information aggregation and distribution. Therefore, browser products should fulfill their responsibility for blocking good illegal content in accordance with the "Measures for the Administration of Internet Information Services" and other provisions, actively filter harmful url domain names, and serve as nodes for malicious code, fraud, pornography, and misleading download information, including pre-filtering, dynamic monitoring during the event, and post-event reporting.
Wang Liangliang, a lawyer at Beijing Hechang Law Firm, told Nandu reporters that it is necessary to analyze whether there are pornographic advertisements on the web page or the browser itself pushes pornographic advertisements. If it is the former, the web page itself is responsible, and the browser is only responsible for general supervision. If it is pushed by the browser itself, the browser is directly responsible.
Wang Liangliang also said that as an application platform, the browser has regulatory obligations for information and advertising on the platform. If it is clearly known that it has violated the law or violated the law, it shall bear joint and several liability, but generally does not involve a crime. If the transaction behind the relevant advertisement is suspected of a crime, then the browser may be suspected of helping informational cybercriminal activities.
Force and automatically download and install the app
In March 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology held an administrative guidance meeting on the issue of some websites reported by netizens and the media that users were required to download apps when they browsed the page information.
The Information and Communications Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology pointed out that some information information, online communities and other websites frequently pop up the window to recommend apps when users browse the web, require downloading the App to view the full text, and cannot read comments without using the App, etc., hindering users from using web browsing information, infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of users, and the masses react strongly.
The Bureau requires relevant Internet enterprises not to automatically or compulsorily download apps without the user's consent or active selection when the user browses the content of the page. When it is recommended to download the App, it should provide obvious "cancel" options at the same time to effectively protect the user's right to know and choose. At the same time, without reasonable and justifiable reasons, users must not be required not to download the APP and not to read it, or not to read the full text. In addition, it is not allowed to force or mislead users to download or open the App, or jump to the App Store by means of folding display, active pop-up window, frequent prompting, or reducing the experience, affecting the user's normal browsing information.
In the Android terminal fast browser, Nandu reporter found that the browser home page push advertisement will appear "the version is too low, please update as soon as possible" prompt, at this time, whether you click the cancel button or the exit button in the upper right corner can not cancel the update, the mobile phone background will begin to download the corresponding App. In the process of browsing the homepage, if there is an advertisement for YY live broadcasting, even if you do not click the download button in the lower right corner, but click anywhere in the advertisement, you will start to download the App in the background.
In the random test of baidu browser express version, Nandu reporter clicked on a web article, and within a few seconds, the text page directly jumped to the Taote App advertising page, and automatically began to download and install the App.
After closing the page and returning, the web page automatically jumps to the eight-character measurement mini program interface, the interface will also pop up a short video platform advertisement, there is an obvious green close button below the pop-up window, but after clicking the close button, the interface automatically jumps to the App's advertising page and starts automatically downloading, even if you click exit at this time, the App will be automatically installed on the phone.
When the Nandu reporter tested again, he carefully observed and found that on the pop-up window advertisement that popped up on the interface of the eight-character measurement mini program, above the obvious green close button, there was a very small word "close" that almost integrated with the background color.
After many clicks and tests, the phone has automatically downloaded many mobile phone software. If not removed in time, these software will even automatically push ads to occupy the screen when unlocking the phone.
In response to the phenomenon of automatic jumping forced download of apps, Baidu customer service responded to Nandu reporters that the system will have an automatic review and interception mechanism, "but it is possible that it itself has passed the review, and the management of the website modifies the content themselves." This situation does not preclude information such as installing some code within the website. It said that in this case, users can click on the three points in the lower right corner of the corresponding link of the search page to report feedback, and the background confirms that there is an abnormality in this link and will do corresponding processing.
Subsequently, nandu reporters gave feedback to Baidu on the URL and details of the link. Nandu reporter searched again and found that the webpage briefly disappeared in the search results page, and when it reappeared after the report, the link changed, and there was no continuous jump and automatic download after clicking.
Li Zhaoling, a lawyer at Beijing Yingke Law Firm, told Nandu reporters that promoting products or services or guiding mobile phone users to consume in an appropriate way is a normal business behavior. However, push information is not unlimited, can not affect the user's normal use of the network, and should provide a quick way or way to refuse. If the necessary limits are exceeded, such as repeated prompts for download, repeated requests for forwarding, continuous prompts or jumps, affecting the normal use of the network by mobile phone users, or forcing mobile phone users to download, delete, install Apps, or obtain mobile phone users' information without authorization, seriously violating the wishes of mobile phone users and infringing on mobile phone users' right to know and choose, it is illegal.
Li Zhaoling said that in short, browser operators recommending information should implement their commercial behavior without infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of mobile phone users.
Clicking the "Close" button will instead redirect you to the ad page
In the test, Nandu reporters also found that in addition to problems such as soft pornography rubbing edge balls and forced download of Apps, some mobile browsers still have the phenomenon that advertising cannot be turned off.
In the actual measurement of the 2345 browser, nandu reporter found that after clicking on the browser search bar, the top of the page will appear about one-third of the screen ads, the content is "has been prepared for you 50 yuan cash red envelope", while the upper right corner of the advertisement has a close icon. However, after clicking the icon, you did not close the advertisement, but went to the advertising page.
Nandu reporter randomly clicked on the 2345 browser home page to push several articles, most of the article pages have inserted ads, occupying about two-thirds of the page, the body content accounted for only one-third, you need to click on the "read the full text" button.
Some advertisements will also "disguise" them as popular science articles. In the bottom of a push article "related recommendations", there is an advertisement titled "The "milk" you drink may not be milk at all, you must know these when buying milk" with a picture of milk in a glass, the light gray "advertisement" logo in the lower right corner is very small, and after clicking on it, it is a product sales advertisement for canned milk powder on Tmall Mall.
When the Nandu reporter was in the novel reader in the bottom bar of the UC browser, an advertising column appeared at the bottom of the page and could not be closed. In the upper left corner of the advertising column, use the small print to prompt "members free of advertising", click to jump to the member purchase page.
Nandu reporter noted that the "Interim Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising" stipulates that the use of the Internet to publish and send advertisements must not affect the normal use of the network by users. Advertisements published on Internet pages in the form of pop-ups, etc., shall be conspicuously marked with a closing sign to ensure one-click closure. Users may not be tricked into clicking on the content of an advertisement.
Nandu reporter also found in the actual measurement that the universal browser has a large number of advertisements for the treatment of knee pain, myopia, deafness, the elderly Parkinson's and other diseases. From the homepage recommendation, the Nandu reporter clicked into the advertisement published by "Hangao" titled "Wuhan 10-year-old child myopia 500 degrees, no needles, no medication, one trick to improve children's myopia", jumped to an article called "[confirmed] CHINA 10-year-old girl reversed 500 degrees, easy to correct vision".
It is reported that the Advertising Law stipulates that advertisements for medical treatment, drugs, and medical devices must not contain assertions or guarantees indicating efficacy and safety; explain the cure rate or efficiency; compare the efficacy and safety of other drugs and medical devices with other medical institutions; use advertising spokespersons as recommendations and certificates; and other content prohibited by laws and administrative regulations.
Li Zhaoling told Nandu reporters that mobile browsers belong to the field of mobile Internet. At present, as the mobile Internet becomes more and more closely related to the social economy and life, it involves the balance of maintaining data security, promoting economic development, and protecting citizens' rights and interests. The balance between these three aspects needs to be regulated through corresponding systems. Although there is the E-commerce Law, the Data Security Law, the Personal Data Protection Law, etc., to achieve a balance between all aspects, more supporting laws and regulations are needed to increase implementation and operability.
Under the tripartite game of mobile phone users, browser operators and social welfare, regulating the behavior of browser operators will become an important way to balance the interests of all parties. Therefore, browser operators may need to operate in accordance with the law from the perspective of assuming social responsibility and safeguarding the personal interests of mobile phone users, so as to obtain economic benefits while maintaining data security and protecting citizens' rights and interests.
Producer: Nandu Instant
Written by: Nandu reporter Yang Tianzhi, Fang Shiqi, Ma Minglong, Lin Zipei, intern Tan Ruye, Wang Yali, Wang Chenyao