Why is the routine of "swiping video to make money" repeated?

[a statement]

Li Yingfeng

  "Make money while watching videos", "Easy to earn 100 yuan a day"... Recently, such ad slogans are often seen on some short video platforms and social media platforms, promoting some apps that claim to be able to make money by watching videos.

You can make money by swiping the video, which looks quite attractive, but there are many routines: some propaganda words are so exaggerated that they cannot be fulfilled at all; some set many thresholds during the withdrawal process; Illegal APP to deceive consumers.

(September 26, "People's Daily")

  The routines of some APP platforms are not complicated. First, they advertise “Easy to make money and withdraw cash to the account in seconds”. Consumers’ desire to watch videos is mobilized. When consumers are hooked, they will show their withdrawal needs step by step. Users “reach a certain level” and “accumulate a certain amount” and other conditions, and some APPs even require consumers to “pull people”... Consumers spend a lot of time and energy, devoting a lot of attention and traffic to the APP, and some consumers even After paying the membership fee and the recharge fee, in the end, you can't get a few dollars, or even no money at all.

What is worrying is that behind the "swipe video to make money", there may be hidden risks such as invasion of personal privacy and fraud.

  From a legal point of view, some APP platforms' "swiping video to make money" routine constitutes false propaganda.

Article 20 of the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests stipulates that information provided by business operators to consumers about the quality, performance, use, and validity period of commodities or services shall be truthful and comprehensive, and shall not make false or misleading publicity.

In the initial publicity stage of the APP platform, it hides its head and covers its foot, only saying that making money is fast, not saying that it is difficult to make money, deceiving and misleading consumers, violating consumers' right to know and right to choose.

  In addition, the APP platform's rules of "swiping video to make money" are standard terms and should also comply with the legal provisions on standard terms.

The Civil Code and the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests clearly stipulate that if an operator uses standard terms in business activities, it shall draw consumers' attention to the quantity and quality of goods or services, price or expense, time limit and method of performance, Civil liability and other content that has a major interest in the consumer, and explain it according to the consumer's request; if the party providing the standard terms fails to perform the obligation of prompting or explaining, so that the other party does not pay attention to or understand the terms that have a major interest in it, the other party will It can be argued that the clause does not become part of the contract.

  Accordingly, if the APP platform fails to inform consumers in advance of the specific process, threshold, conditions and difficulty of "swiping videos to make money", or fails to make key explanations and prompts, consumers will have a "fast and easy money" experience. Easy” and other misunderstandings, consumers can claim that the relevant withdrawal rules of the APP platform are not valid during the process of rights protection.

  The “video to make money” routine has existed for some time, and relevant departments have launched multiple rounds of rectification, but such infringements still exist, and even become more deceptive and confusing.

In order to prevent "making money from videos" from becoming an infringing series, the relevant departments need to further improve the rectification mechanism, intensify the rectification efforts, and strengthen the rectification efficiency.

Departments such as industry and information technology, market supervision and other departments should give a clear legal characterization of the routine of "swiping video to make money", draw a clear legal bottom line, and unblock the channels for complaints and reporting, and carry out regular online inspections oriented by problems, and investigate true illegal infringements. Behaviors are investigated, punished and exposed according to law, and typical cases and consumer warnings are issued.

  Some APP platforms with unknown operation use social media platforms to spread and induce users to recharge and consume, and social media platforms should fulfill their management responsibilities.

After discovering illegal infringement, social media platforms should intervene by blocking accounts, establishing blacklists, reminding consumers to pay attention to relevant risks, and reporting to the regulatory authorities.

In addition, consumers should also keep their eyes open, see the difficulty and risks of "swiping video to make money", start with caution, and recharge with caution, so as to avoid big losses due to petty gains.

Comics/Chen Bin