A recently released drama or variety show often sees a flurry of negative posts on social media shortly after its debut. Some seemingly normal discussion topics may be carefully orchestrated tools of public opinion manipulation, with perpetrators quietly waiting for the comment section to "explode." Once the production team succumbs to pressure and initiates "business collaborations," the single fee can range from a few thousand yuan. Recently, Hangzhou public security authorities solved a case of public opinion extortion under the guise of "protecting dramas," apprehending 10 suspects. The associated Weibo accounts involved had a total of over 20.2 million followers, and two primary suspects have been approved for arrest by the procuratorate. A reporter from Orange Mutual Interactive learned at a case briefing that the suspects had extorted over 200,000 yuan from multiple hit dramas and celebrities within the past year. This case marks the first nationwide instance where online gray-area operations in the entertainment industry have been formally investigated and prosecuted under the crime of extortion.

Negative posts about a new drama appeared before its official release, leading the lead actress to burst into tears upon seeing the untrue posts. The "protection fee" for each post was at least 1,000 yuan, with a minimum of five posts required to start cooperation. In May of this year, on the premiere day of several popular TV dramas, a self-media account claiming to be a "film review blogger" posted content comparing the looks of the two lead actresses using one high-definition and one blurry photo. This sparked heated discussions among fans of the dramas and celebrities in the comment section. However, during routine online patrols, the Hangzhou public security cyberspace security department noticed that during the airing of hit dramas, similar negative posts would appear on social platforms, deliberately criticizing acting skills, plot settings, or relationships among creators, or inciting division. "The posts would disappear quickly," which raised police suspicion. Officer Li Ke of the Lin'an Public Security Bureau's Cyberspace Security Team said that the bloggers posting these contents had varying follower counts, and the content was not particularly "viral," with most of the hundreds of comments being fan infighting. Investigators found that after the negative posts were published, public relations media companies would contact the bloggers via private messages or business channels. "They would demand high fees in the name of providing publicity services or optimizing public opinion to delete the posts and control comment direction." The police quickly identified a criminal group led by suspects Li and Liao. Officer Li Ke explained that Li and his group used public opinion pressure to force victims to pay "protection fees." A producer interviewed by a reporter stated that the viewing trend and platform ratings of a drama after its release are crucial for production teams, directly affecting ratings and later commercial revenue, as well as the commercial value of artists. If negative public opinion arises, it's best to arrange for deletion immediately, as brand partners might suspend cooperation. Notably, when approached, the criminal group would not directly propose "deleting posts" but instead negotiate under the guise of "providing publicity services," packaging deletion as a "drama protection" campaign and demanding high fees. To avoid account anomalies from frequent deletions, they would hide the posts rather than delete them. "For Li and his group, the 'publicity service' fee for one post was about 1,000 yuan, and they would only consider cooperation starting from five posts." They would also coordinate multiple accounts to increase posting frequency and expand reach, maintaining continuous public opinion pressure until the victim paid to resolve the issue. The Hangzhou and district-level public security cyberspace security departments established a special task force. Lu Danxiang, head of the Lin'an District Bureau's Cyberspace Security Team, said they visited multiple locations nationwide and found many film and television production companies that had suffered. "One company executive complained that before a new drama was even released, during the initial pre-promotion phase, a flood of 'black posts' spread negative information about the artists. The drama had invested 50 to 60 million yuan, and a few 'casual remarks' could ruin it all, potentially leading to closure." The company executive added, "Our lead actress saw those negative and untrue hype posts and burst into tears at the dinner table. I had no choice but to contact them again and say, 'Whatever amount you want, just name it.'"

A single negative review was posted, and someone quickly contacted the suspect to request deletion. The suspect earned a few hundred yuan from the first such deal, tasting the sweetness. The special task force, through meticulous investigation, clarified the group's organizational structure, personnel division, and fund flow. On June 16, Hangzhou police deployed over 40 officers across eight provinces and ten cities, including Hefei in Anhui and Taicang in Jiangsu, for a coordinated arrest. They apprehended 10 suspects, with two main suspects, Li and Liao, arrested at home. Their tools for the crime were only mobile phones, computer hosts, and tablets. Liao, aged 40, had long been engaged in account operations, boasting millions of followers and even hiring staff to maintain accounts. His accounts posted various celebrity news collected from various sources and had faced multiple civil lawsuits for infringing on celebrity reputations. Li, aged 36, had a regular job and started operating a personal social media account in his spare time from 2024, initially sharing life updates and celebrity activities. After earning a few hundred yuan from posting a negative review about a celebrity, he began systematically posting negative content about film and TV works and artists. Lu Danxiang said, "The suspects admitted they knew their actions were wrong and often discussed among themselves if they could be prosecuted. They never expected to be arrested on charges of extortion." To evade regulation, they used a series of "industry jargon" during communication. For example, the emoji of a "lock" represented "posts can be hidden," the "bag" emoji meant "stop, the price has been agreed upon," and the "brick" emoji indicated "money has been received." When discussing any celebrity, they would use letter abbreviations instead of their real names. "They thought they had found a loophole," the investigating officer said.

Following and spreading rumors, using insulting language to attack individuals, these actions can turn a "bystander" into a "participant in cyberbullying." The draft of the Anti-Cyberbullying Law of the People's Republic of China is currently open for public comment. "Online extortion under the guise of 'drama protection' is not a civil dispute but a criminal offense. In the past, many companies could only endure and pay off to resolve issues, forming a practice of willingly paying 'protection fees,' fueling the arrogance of this online black industry," said a relevant official from the Hangzhou public security cyberspace security department. This case is the first nationwide example of gray-area operations in the entertainment industry being formally investigated and prosecuted under the crime of extortion, marking the "first shot" in the deepened special campaign against organized crime in cyberspace. In recent years, the issue of cyberbullying has also drawn increasing social attention. Zhejiang Zhiren Law Firm lawyer Hu Zhentian stated that in this case, if the perpetrators, in addition to extortion, fabricate false facts, publish defamatory or insulting remarks, leak others' privacy, or organize, incite, or direct netizens to target specific individuals with concentrated attacks, insults, or doxxing, which independently constitutes a crime related to cyberbullying, they may face combined punishment for multiple offenses. If ordinary netizens follow and comment, hype, or create division under such negative posts, could they be considered cyberbullies? Zhejiang Jiandao Law Firm lawyer Zhang Yichen believes it depends on what is said. Merely commenting "the drama is not good" is free speech and does not constitute cyberbullying. However, if they follow and spread rumors, use insulting language to attack actors personally, or participate in organized campaigns of one-star ratings or personal attacks, they cross the line from "bystander" to "participant in cyberbullying." The reporter learned that on July 29 this year, the National Internet Information Office issued a notice on the public consultation of the draft of the Anti-Cyberbullying Law of the People's Republic of China (with the comment deadline set for August 28, 2026), receiving strong support from netizens. The draft specifies four types of activities as cyberbullying, requiring corresponding legal responsibility: (1) centralized publication of information containing insults, slander, incitement of hatred, instigation of division, threats, coercion, discrimination, or prejudice (hereinafter referred to as cyberbullying information); (2) illegal centralized publication of others' personal information; (3) persistent online intimidation, harassment, etc.; (4) other activities infringing on legitimate rights and interests that constitute cyberbullying. The nationwide deepened special campaign against organized crime is currently underway. According to a message from the Ministry of Public Security's WeChat public account, new types of crimes such as online "loan sharking," soft violence debt collection, public opinion extortion, malicious claims, and cyberbullying have become significant forms of organized crime, severely disrupting normal economic and social order and seriously affecting public security. Public security authorities urge film and television production companies, celebrity teams, and netizens, if they encounter unlawful acts like public opinion blackmail, malicious extortion, or paid deletion of posts, not to endure or back down. They should promptly preserve electronic evidence such as chat records, transaction receipts, and webpage screenshots, and proactively report to the local public security authorities.