Key facts
- China's courts are prosecuting "traffic boosting," the artificial inflation of online engagement metrics.
- An intermediary was sentenced to over five years in prison for generating 2.47 million yuan in fake traffic for Douyin.
- The intermediary operated a platform called Huole Network, taking a 1% cut from orders.
- Police found 1,246 iPhones and other equipment used to simulate user activity.
- A similar case involving Yang Mousong resulted in a one-year, nine-month sentence for false advertising.
- Legal characterization of traffic boosting depends on whether it's seen as disrupting the online market or misleading commercial promotion.
Chinese courts are increasingly confronting the challenge of prosecuting the growing business of artificially inflating online engagement metrics, such as views, likes, and comments, to create a false impression of popularity for merchants and products. This practice, known as "traffic boosting," is becoming a specialized industry where intermediaries manage orders and deploy teams using software and numerous accounts to simulate genuine user activity.
In a significant ruling, the Yangjiang Intermediate People’s Court upheld a sentence of over five years in prison for Su Xian, an intermediary who facilitated over 2.47 million yuan ($368,000) in fake traffic for Douyin users and merchants. Su operated a platform called Huole Network, which he rented for 3,000 yuan annually. His defense argued that likes and views do not constitute "false information" under criminal law. However, the trial court found that the batch-manipulation software interfered with information presentation, constituting illegal business operations. Su was sentenced in October 2025 to five years and two months in prison and fined 100,000 yuan. The conviction was upheld on February 25, 2026.
A similar case involving Yang Mousong, who ran a platform reselling fake engagement on Weibo and Douyin, saw transactions exceeding 10.3 million yuan. His charges were altered to false advertising, and he received a one-year, nine-month sentence and a 100,000 yuan fine in April 2026. These contrasting outcomes highlight the difficulty in fitting the rapidly evolving online industry into existing criminal laws, with legal interpretations varying based on whether the conduct is viewed as disrupting the online information market or as misleading commercial promotion. Previously, such activities were often handled through administrative or civil measures, but they are increasingly entering the criminal justice system, prompting calls for clearer legal definitions.