preface
In 2009, Chongqing police detected a major case of online obscene performances and numbered it "071."
In August of that year, law enforcement entered a local hotel and found dozens of scantily clad women videochatting with clients facing electronic screens.
Not only that, but their scope of work is not limited to video chatting with customers, but also includes more in-depth services.
However, two months later, the girls' employer was arrested and sentenced to six years in prison.
Where are these girls from? Who is the girl's employer and why are they arrested?
"Eye-catching" websites
In early 2009, when the Hubei police were conducting a routine website inspection, they accidentally discovered an unusually popular website.
Out of duty, the police decided to open the website, called "Lilac", but were shocked by the screen full of adult content.
Today, however, 730 million views may not be too staggering, especially considering that platforms like Douyin have more than 700 million daily active users. However, back in 2009, 730 million views could almost be called astronomical.
The sudden rise of this website immediately attracted the attention of the police. The police named the case "071" and immediately launched a full investigation.
From the beginning, the police had a hunch that the investigation would be difficult, and such sites often had servers located abroad, making it difficult to deal with. Sure enough, the server of "Lilac" is also overseas, and the difficulty of investigation can be imagined.
However, although the servers are located overseas, it is impossible for the operator to be overseas. Therefore, the police decided to start with the domain name of the website in an attempt to find the owner of the "lilac".
However, the operators of the "Lilac" website seem to have speculated about the police investigation methods, and they regularly change their domain names, sometimes in this city and sometimes in that city, and even set up more than 380 websites in total, making it impossible for the police to accurately track their location.
This situation has caused great distress to the police investigation. They had to reevaluate their strategy and look for other leads and channels to track down and identify the main person in charge of the "Lilac" website.
Considering that it would be difficult to find clues in a short period of time, the police decided to turn the focus of the investigation to the content of the "Lilac" website. They knew that an with 730 million users would have some clues to follow.
In the investigation of the "Lilac" website, the police found that the biggest difference between this adult website and other similar websites is that the image resources it provides are all free. Unlike other websites, any customer can browse the entire content of the website for free by simply registering an account.
Indeed, the police face a series of problems when investigating the "Lilac" website.
The "Lilac" website has more than 2 million registered members, which does require a lot of human resources to keep the website updated and operational. In addition, leasing overseas servers will also bring certain expenses.
However, you also correctly pointed out that there is a whole chain of interests behind the "Lilac" website. Adult websites often generate revenue through advertising, membership subscriptions, paid services, etc. These revenue streams can be hugely profitable for website operators.
Lilacs are expensive
In order to understand the operation mode of the "Lilac" website, the police began to conduct a more in-depth investigation.
They found that every page of the "Lilac" website was flooded with advertisements for supplements and video chats. These ads do bring in significant revenue, but they are still not enough to cover all expenses compared to the operating costs of the website.
Police also noticed that although the video chat ads varied, they all ended up leading to the same website called "Passion Video." This has attracted the attention of the police, suggesting that there may be some kind of connection or chain of interest between the "Lilac" website and the "Passion Video" website.
Next, the police will further investigate and track down the website, called "Passion Video". They will focus on the site's operating model, user interactions, and possible business partnerships to reveal more clues and masterminds behind it.
After investigation, the police finally learned how the operators of the "Lilac" website made money.
They found that the website was full of various beautiful avatars, and every click on an avatar would enter a live broadcast room.
In the live broadcast room, users can try to watch for a few seconds. If you want to continue watching, you need to pay to register as a member.
This model allows the "Lilac" site to earn revenue through member registration and paid viewing.
The price range of members is very large, from 2 yuan experience package to thousands, or even tens of thousands of yuan premium package, to meet the needs of different users.
When the police investigated, they chose to recharge the 2 yuan experience package to continue watching the content of the live broadcast room. Once they become members, the site also unlocks new features for them, such as interacting with female streamers.
This interactive feature may include text chat, sending gifts, or tipping, among other things. These features not only increase user engagement, but also generate more revenue for website operators.
The police had a simple communication with the female anchor, but the female anchor only used seductive words to attract the police, and did not take other actions.
The female anchor made it clear that if the police want to see more revealing content, they need to top up a higher package.
In addition, the top-up package is not finished, the website also has a virtual currency system.
These tokens can be used to buy gifts and then give them to female streamers.
The police realized that this virtual currency system could further increase user engagement while also generating more revenue for the site's operators.
According to the survey results, many female anchors clearly marked the behavior and price corresponding to different gifts on the website. They will make it clear that if the user gives a gift of a certain value, they will get the corresponding performance.
Generally speaking, the price of a female anchor for a private performance is about 500 yuan.
However, if users are willing to "invest" more money, some female streamers may perform some unspeakable exaggerations.
Your observation of this way of operating is correct. Such sites take advantage of people's curiosity and desire, attract netizens through increasing temptation, and keep them trapped in it.
Shockingly, this site is not a regular live broadcast, but a live broadcast site 24 hours a day. Female streamers will be replaced by another batch of female anchors soon after exhaustion, forming a cycle.
Different faces and seductive words kept appearing, attracting more than 2 million netizens and making them linger.
This continuous live broadcast, constantly changing female anchors and different seductive content further increase users' dependence and addiction to the website.
According to the police investigation of website data, the total recharge amount of these more than 2 million members on the website exceeded 19 million yuan in half a year.
The average cost per person is more than 9 yuan.
However, this number is only an average and actually means that many people have made high deposits on the site, squandering hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
The police have made it clear that the website attracts users by offering free content, in effect to promote their live streaming service. When users click on the ad, the female anchor will perform, which is one of the main ways for the site to make money.
What's even more shocking is that these female streamers look like one-on-one "service" but are actually facing dozens or even hundreds of customers at the same time to maximize their possessions.
The police are aware of this worrying operating model, and they realize that there may be a large and well-established chain of interests behind cloves.
If immediate action is not taken to stop it, the consequences could be dire.
The police will step up their investigations into cloves and their chain of interest, and work with international law enforcement agencies and internet service providers to crack down on the violations involved.
Launch an investigation
Given the cunning tactics of the website operators, the police realized that their location might not be pinpointed by simply using domain names and servers. So they decided to start with a few clues within the site, focusing first on ads that led people to the live page.
After investigation, the police found that the small advertisements came from an advertising company called Union Connect. The advertising company is mainly in the business of advertising, and they have helped cloves attract more and more people through these ads.
The police decided to start with Union Connect's domain name, but soon ran into difficulties.
Affiliate covers more than 150,000 domains, and each domain name is constantly changing, making it difficult to find the exact target.
The police have tried to crack down on several known domains, but the effectiveness of this approach is very limited due to the large number of alternative domain names in UnionConnect.
Faced with this situation, the police decided to adopt a more nuanced approach, through technical means and the support of partners, in-depth analysis of the domain name change pattern of the alliance and find the pattern.
Faced with difficulties, the police decided to start with the customer service on the website, hoping to find some clues to promote the cracking of the case. However, they found that several customer service calls available on the website were either unanswered or empty, making it impossible to communicate effectively.
Just when the police felt that they had no way to start, the live broadcast screen on the computer screen suddenly moved.
Suddenly, a new female anchor named "Gentle Continuation" appeared in the live broadcast room, and she cleverly tempted each member to recharge.
Quickly, many people went from regular members to premium members and frantically bought gifts for the female streamer.
Soon after, the virtual coins of these premium members were spent, and the female anchor began to perform.
At the same time, the police also found that it is not difficult to find these websites, and they can be easily found by simply using a search engine.
It was at this critical moment that the police suddenly had an idea.
Considering that the previous investigation methods did not have the desired results, the police decided to change tactics and began to investigate the flow of funds, hoping to obtain some unexpected clues.
In the course of investigating the flow of funds, the police immediately obtained important leads. They found that the charges and payments for cloves were handled entirely by an online payment platform agent. The funds are first recharged from the netizens' accounts to the online payment platform, and then transferred by the payment platform to the account of the lilac operator.
Although the police obtained this lead, they did not rush into action. Instead, they decided to continue to gather more evidence and information to ensure the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the investigation.
The police encountered a series of difficulties in tracking down the operator behind the cloves. Realizing that rash action would only alert suspects, they decided to take a more cautious approach to the investigation.
First, the police decided to investigate the account in which the money flowed, which was backed by several companies based in Chongqing. The discovery surprised the police and seemed to have a more complex underlying relationship.
In further investigation, the police discovered that one of the websites turned out to be a former Internet singer. What's even more surprising is that the singer has also built a very well-known music website.
This person is called Zheng Li, who was once the behind-the-scenes promoter of singer Yang Chengang and was responsible for some classic songs, such as "Mouse Loves Rice".
Shocked by the discovery, the police began further investigating Zheng Li's background and activities, hoping to find clues related to the Lilac website.
The police were confused about Zheng Li's identity and why he made money on adult websites. So they decided to investigate Zheng Li further and several companies related to the account.
After careful investigation, the police soon discovered that Zheng Li had rented the second floor of a hotel in Chongqing as the headquarters of their Internet company. This discovery made the police more suspicious of Zheng Li's behavior.
Police immediately went to the hotel, hoping to learn more about Zheng Li's activities and his relationship with adult websites. They sent investigators and technical experts to the scene to obtain additional evidence and information.
After organizing the staff, the police decided to launch a raid on the targeted hotel in August 2009, hoping to uncover the truth behind Lilac's website.
During the operation, the police found a group of female anchors suspected of spreading adult content. They took immediate action to arrest the suspected violators.
After questioning these female anchors in detail, the police learned that the business model of the lilac website is far more complicated than expected. They found that these female anchors did not make money just by being young and beautiful, in fact, Lilac website specially developed a set of elaborate words and movements in order to obtain more revenue.
Before female streamers take up their jobs, they undergo rigorous training to ensure that they can perform as required. This shows that the operation team of Lilac website has been carefully planned and professionally trained to ensure that their business can continue to be profitable.
After further investigation, the police found that female anchors must comply with a series of strict rules after they officially take up their posts. If there is a problem with their words and actions, the supervisor will deduct a large amount of their salary as punishment.
During the raid on the hotel, the police successfully arrested nearly 50 female anchors. Through conversations with one of the girls, the police learned that their supervisor's name was He Jia.
With the name, the police can finally start tracking down and investigating all the beneficiaries behind the cloves. Little by little, they are determined to uncover the mastermind behind this cybercrime.
The police were a little surprised after arresting He Jia. It turned out that the supervisor was not a five-year-old man, but a woman who was not yet 30 years old.
Through conversations with He Jia, the police learned that most female anchors were recruited through online job advertisements. As a supervisor, He Jia can get a salary of about 20,000 yuan a month, while the salary of a female anchor ranges from 3,000 yuan to 30,000 yuan depending on personal circumstances.
This discovery further sheds light on the business model behind cloves. Police recognise that this criminal gang has exploited the needs and temptations of young women to lure them into joining through high salaries and flexible working styles.
The police were skeptical of He Jia's answer, as such a statement was clearly an attempt to shirk responsibility. They decided to take He Jia back to the police station for further investigation.
When He Jia learned that she was involved in a large amount of money and might face a more serious trial, she immediately chose to expose the administrator behind it, Liu Junsong.
Liu Junsong is the manager behind the cloves mentioned by He Jia, and this information provides new clues to the police.
Under the investigation of the police, Liu Junsong was eventually captured. Faced with hard evidence, he had to admit and confess some important information. He revealed that in addition to himself, there are three bosses involved in the operation of the lilac website, and one of the important bosses is Zheng Li.
According to Liu Junsong's account, the lilac website received a total of 19 million yuan in revenue, while the female anchors only received more than 5 million yuan, and the rest of the money was controlled by these "bosses".
This information gives the police a clearer picture of the scale and complexity of the case. They will continue to track down Zheng Li and other relevant people involved in the case in order to uncover the complete chain of interests and criminal organizations behind Lilac.
Through investigation, the police discovered the story behind Zheng Li, the founder of a well-known music website. It turned out that Zheng Li's music website was poorly operated in 2008 and faced bankruptcy. However, through a series of operational means, including cooperation with Lilac website, Zheng Li brought the music website back to life.
After unremitting efforts, the police arrested three main bosses, including Zheng Li, Dai Zeyan and Gong Zhaowei, in just one week. These main persons involved in the case faced with overwhelming evidence, and in the end, they could only admit their crimes and accept the punishment of the law.
In addition to these three bosses, the police also arrested Li, Du, Wang and other people suspected of website operation in Zhengzhou and other places. As website operators, they also have important responsibilities for the operation of the Lilac website and the illegal activities involved.
During the police questioning, Zheng Li revealed some inside information to them. His initial plan was to attract customers to chat with beautiful streamers through one-on-one live broadcasts, so as to earn money.
However, as the operating time went on, female streamers began to adopt adult performances to attract customers in order to obtain higher revenues. This behavior seduces the desire of customers and makes them fall into the vortex of illegal crime.
You doubted Zheng Li's words and thought that this was just a statement he had exonerated himself. You point out that his wolf ambition is evident from his practice of using the free adult content of the clove website to attract customers.
The police have the same perception of this. They learned that although the lilac website made a profit of 19 million yuan, Zheng Li and others did not get much profit. Part of the profits are taken away by third-party platforms, and some are occupied by advertising companies, and they are also distributed to their female anchors. Therefore, in the end, only more than 5 million yuan reached their hands.
Regarding the illegal and criminal acts of Zheng Li and others, the law has already made a conclusion. In the end, Zheng Li and several other bosses were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 6 to 5 years and fined about 400,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan. The others involved were also sentenced to about two years and six months in prison.
The extraordinarily serious case, named "071", was the largest obscene performance case that the police investigated and solved around 2008. The case shocked the public and showed the seriousness and harmfulness of cybercrime. The efforts and persistence of the police led to the criminal gang finally being brought to justice.
Yes, the beautiful "cloves" eventually withered under the relentless pursuit of the police, and hundreds of websites related to cloves were completely removed.
Zheng Li was a successful musician who had a certain reputation in the music industry. However, he went down the wrong path because of lust and greed, trying to profit by spreading obscene content, which eventually led to himself being punished by the law and imprisoned.
Such a contrast is indeed embarrassing. If Zheng Li had been able to adhere to the right path and make music steadily, his life might have had a different development trajectory. However, his greed and pursuit of profiteering made him choose the wrong path, which ultimately led to his defeat and tragic end.
This case teaches us a profound lesson that chasing desires and unscrupulous transgressions ultimately only brings tragedy and misfortune. Honesty, integrity, and obedience to the law are the bottom lines that each of us should adhere to, so that we can embark on the right path and pursue true success and happiness.