This business started at the end of 2022, when Wang was told by his friend about a practice that is considered profitable known as 'brushing'. The term 'brushing' is defined as a real-time activity that is faked, such as the number of viewers, likes, comments, and shares in a live broadcast to simulate genuine user interactions and mislead the audience. Wang started his business by purchasing 4,600 phones that can be controlled by cloud-based software specifically.

With a few clicks on his computer, Wang can operate thousands of mobile phones that he has purchased simultaneously to flood a live broadcast. Then he can increase the number of viewers and interactions within it, such as like and share features. He acknowledges that the cost of operating one mobile phone every day amounts to 6.65 yuan or Rp14.7 thousand. "The cost of using one phone is 6.65 yuan per day," he said.

A total of 17 other suspects are also being investigated for "violating national regulations by spreading false information online through publishing services to gain profit and disrupt the market order," according to local authorities. This fraud has become a problem on live broadcasting platforms and e-commerce websites in China. As a result, local residents are urging the responsible parties to regulate it. One observer believes that this case is not an isolated incident. "This is clearly not an isolated case," he thinks. Report: Nisya Aprilya