"What the hell is the idle fish selling?"
This is the recent question raised by netizens about this well-known second-hand trading platform.
Not long ago, some netizens posted on social platforms that some people in Xianyu "trafficked people" and sold children. Although it was finally confirmed that this was a big oolong, careful netizens found that this second-hand trading platform was "trading" outrageous services that were much more than that.
For example, sell your own "erotic trading" service.
(Source: Weibo)
According to the survey, Xianyu has many virtual service products with keywords such as "companionship" and "chat", and the price is often marked with "false prices" such as 0.88 yuan and 8.88 yuan. When someone tries to make a deal, the seller offers an exposed, pornographic image that directs the buyer to another chat platform to complete the service.
Although these services are called "companionship services", they have become the hardest hit area of erotic trade.
The repeated prohibition of erotic trading on second-hand platforms does make people ask again: "What is idle fish selling?"
Not only "brushing the edges", but also more exciting
When it comes to idle fish, most netizens may have the deepest impression of it "can buy anything", which is also its biggest competitive advantage.
Unlike most second-hand trading platforms, Xianyu prefers to diversify goods and services, where you can buy an iPhone, you can also buy answers to a winter vacation homework, and you can also find a local guide to accompany you to eat, drink and have fun. Indeed, seemingly extremely unpopular and niche goods or services can basically be found by idle fish.
Such a business strategy has also led to the frequent occurrence of "special services" of idle fish.
(Source: Idle Fish)
Upstream media reported that idle fish is full of a large number of virtual services that "hang sheep's heads to sell dog meat", although the title and product details are marked "not astringent", but as long as there are consultants "knocking on the door to ask for prices", the true face of the seller will be revealed.
The transaction process for these "sellers" is very simple. After a brief exchange between the two parties in Xianyu, after confirming that the "buyer" came for the "escort service", they immediately transferred to other communication software to complete other services. As "buyers" gradually move on, they will start sending more revealing, pornographic images to guide them to continue to pay more. Some "sellers" even provide video interactive chat services.
(Source: Chongqing Metropolis Daily)
In addition to the "Escort" service, "Companion Play" is also popular.
As e-sports culture has gradually become one of the favorite entertainment activities of contemporary young people after dinner, finding someone to play games has also become an online service in high demand. Similar to the "Companion Chat" service, many erotic transactions are also hidden in the "Companion Play" service.
Netizens reported that most of the "accompaniment" services on Xianyu secretly sell erotic performance videos, such as the "AI face-changing video" that caused heated discussions not long ago, which was circulated in this way. These services have unique "codes" in Xianyu to avoid the risk of platform censorship.
(Source: 3.15 Special Report)
In fact, services such as "escort play" and "escort chat" can be classified as "fringe violations", after all, the way to complete the transaction has been transferred to other platforms, and Xianyu itself does not prohibit formal online service activities, resulting in very difficult standardization. But in addition to these "edge-scraping" behaviors, Xianyu also sells physical pornographic cartoons, videos, or real people's private clothing, etc., which continue to cause controversy, but still seem to secretly grow in the "darkness".
Change words, avoid censorship, obscene pornography also play "hide and seek"
After the media exposed the relevant incidents several times, the Xianyu official made a statement as soon as possible, and continuously upgraded the regulatory system while making relevant measures, but it could not resist the fact that criminals were too rampant.
It's not that hard to evade the platform's review.
In the world of paragraphs, we often say that "homophonic terriers are to deduct money", but homophonic words and words are extremely useful in idle fish. For example, "accompanying play" has actually been included in the prohibited scope relatively early on the Xianyu platform, but the homophone "accompanying pill" is not, and such a search is not difficult for sellers who intend to purchase such services.
Similarly, "accompaniment" can also be replaced by "accompaniment liao". This trick of "concealing the sky and crossing the sea" will not be discovered by the system review, nor will it reduce the exposure due to unfamiliar words, which is the usual means of erotic services.
Of course, if the platform increases the review of content, then it can also start with "nicknames". For example, changing the nickname to "little fairy loves to chat", "professional old driver", "only accept old customers", etc., these words themselves are not illegal, and it is difficult for the system to determine whether such a "nickname" has edges.
(Source: Idle Fish)
If these are just relatively rudimentary, easy-to-understand homophones "rubbing edges", then the real "code language" culture of idle fish may surprise you.
Since last year, idle fish has become popular for "posting pictures", simply put, the products hanging in the link for sale are not really willing to sell, often just sellers who want to show their cute pets, beautiful handbooks or beautiful photographs. Criminals followed such a routine and began to "post pictures".
For example, a "watermelon with only one bite" that costs 79 yuan, a coin marked with the year, and so on.
(Source: Idle Fish)
These goods are obviously not really for sale, after all, who would buy a watermelon that has been bitten? When you start a chat with each other out of curiosity, the door to a new world opens.
Not only exaggerated "photo" behavior, but also some "inconsistent" products, there are also serious sexual innuendo.
It is clear that he is a plumber who is proficient in repairing sewers and has ten years of experience, and the picture turned out to be a photo of a beautiful woman scratching her head. If you think about it, you can find clues.
(Source: Idle Fish)
Why are criminals keen to "do things" on idle fish? The main reason is that Xianyu does not have a high "store" threshold like Taobao and Tmall, as long as you register an account, you can publish goods. Just as many college students provide oral sparring services on idle fish during holidays, many professional photographers also sell retouching services on idle fish.
It is precisely because the criminals take a fancy to the model of simple registration and convenient listing of goods in Xianyu, so they dare to take root in Xianyu unscrupulously, no matter how many times they are reported and complained, they can still "grow against the trend".
Pornography is rampant, and it's time for idle fish to step up rectification
In 2019, Xianyu released the "Xianyu Community Information Release Specification", which explicitly prohibits pornography, vulgarity, aphrodisiac products and other goods. Four years have passed, how is Xianyu doing now?
As a seller, Xiaolei tried to publish a very "explicit" post on the Xianyu platform, with not only obvious sexual connuendo in the picture, but even left the account information of another platform. Then the result is obvious, it can be successfully reviewed and published, and after 1 minute, it has increased the exposure by 1 time. This is enough to show that the management of idle fish in "social dynamics" is relatively loose.
(Source: Idle Fish)
But if you're going to list a product, it's not that simple.
The same content, the same picture, when Xiaolei marked the text with the title, the system has prompted that it cannot pass the review, but you can still continue to operate. Until you click Publish, the system will pop up again to request re-real-name authentication, otherwise you cannot try to publish. In the part of commodity dynamic management, the supervision of the idle fish platform has increased significantly, which is still worthy of praise.
(Source: Idle Fish)
In addition, words such as "accompaniment", "chat", and "betraying oneself" have also been prompted by the system before they are released, and the publication of such information is prohibited. But the same words, as long as you replace them with pictures, you can pass the review.
(Source: Idle Fish)
From the perspective of ordinary consumers, in fact, without understanding the so-called "black words" and "code words", it is basically impossible to search for related products. If you search for prohibited words directly, then Xianyu officials will jump directly to the "Green Net Project" page.
(Source: Idle Fish)
In general, Xianyu is a relatively convenient and low-threshold second-hand trading platform, with a large number of goods, and it is difficult for the platform to supervise. According to the official response, at present, only the reported illegal goods can be removed, if no one reports, then some online services and virtual services will not be automatically judged to be removed.
In this way, the standardization of idle fish is obstructed and long.
Write at the end
In May this year, Xianyu held the 2023 product upgrade conference and officially announced that the platform's users exceeded the 500 million mark, of which post-95 users accounted for 43% of the total users of the platform.
As a second-hand trading platform with a large group of young people, Xianyu still has some shortcomings in commodity review, content standardization and dynamic supervision. However, it can be seen that after each controversy, the official of Xianyu can also stand up as soon as possible, upgrade the defense means, and reduce the risk of harming the information and continuing to poison the platform.
But for now, "rubbing edges" and "erotic services" still appear from time to time in the unknown dark corners of idle fish, mainly "the magic is one foot high, the road is one foot high", even if it has been strictly prevented, it is still difficult to completely clean up these remnants. However, from the perspective of Xianyu's official attitude towards these harmful information, its regulatory methods will also be upgraded and strengthened, such as the use of AI technology to improve the intensity of auditing, faster response, and more thorough investigation.