Zhongxin Jingwei, July 10 (Chang Tao) Primary and secondary school students all over the country have entered the summer vacation mode one after another. However, at present, some learning apps containing pornographic violence and induced advertisements have brought great hidden dangers to students’ online life in summer. Some learning apps even "sell dog meat by hanging sheep’s heads", and the introduction says "Guess idioms and gain knowledge", but it is an online game, and you can log in and recharge it without real name … …
Guess the idiom App becomes an online game, and you can play it when you open it.
In April 2022, some users complained on social platforms. Through a short video introduction, they downloaded the idiom learning App "Idiom Genius" for children in the Apple App Store. After opening it, it became a "large online game" and did not need real-name authentication. Minors can also recharge without barriers.
Screenshots and recordings released by the user show that the description of the App in the Apple App Store is "Looking at pictures and filling in idioms is a small game to learn idioms and develop the brain", which is suitable for users over 4 years old. But after downloading and installing, it is a real martial arts style online game, which shows that it is suitable for people over 16 years old.
The reporter of Zhongxin Jingwei searched for "Idiom Genius" in the Apple App Store. An App named "Idiom Genius-Intelligence Competition" was similar to the description of the complaining user. After downloading and installing, it was found that the app was indeed a simple idiom learning product.
However, under the search results of the above keywords, there are two idiom learning apps, the icon style is very similar to "Idiom Genius-Intelligence Competition", and the names of the apps are "Brain Hole Genius" and "Smart Words" respectively. Strangely, both App categories are entertainment.
According to the information in the Apple App Store, the "Brain Hole" app is a software for guessing idioms. "According to the pattern prompts in the game, choose the first pinyin letter of the idiom, and you can get a detailed explanation of the idiom if you answer correctly." Similar to it, the "punch line" App is also an idiom guessing software, which "guesses the correct idiom according to the tips of the picture content".
Both apps are used by people over 4 years old. According to the age classification rules of Apple App Store, "4+" means that this category of apps does not contain restricted content.
But is it really that simple?
Zhongxin Jingwei reporter then installed the above two apps. Among them, after the "brain hole ghost talent" is opened, the system will automatically generate an account and password, and click OK to log in. However, the next reporter from Zhongxin Jingwei entered the online game page instead of guessing idioms, which was used by people over 16 years old.
However, it should be pointed out that before entering the game, the system has never popped up a page asking for the input of name and ID number for real-name verification, and even can log in without binding the mobile phone number.
The page shows that this is an upgraded martial arts style game. The characters in the game are exposed and frequently have violent actions. In the upper right corner, there are buttons such as shopping mall, backpack, service opening activity, first charge, VIP, anti-fraud reward, zero-yuan gift package, etc. During the experience, the game constantly pops up various equipment. Players can use "Yuanbao" to buy equipment during the game, but "Yuanbao" needs to be recharged by players. The game has multiple recharge channels. If the player is not careful, he will open the recharge page and quickly jump to WeChat payment after clicking recharge.
Subsequently, the reporter of Zhongxin Jingwei opened the "Whispering Lianzhu" App, and the usage situation is no different from that of the "brain hole ghost talent" App.
According to the announcement of the game, WeChat official account, the official WeChat of the "Brain Hole Ghost Talent" App game, is "Fingertip Impression". Upon inquiry, the WeChat official account certification subject is Guangzhou Xing Cai Network Technology Co., Ltd. Tianyancha App shows that Guangzhou Xing Cai Network Technology Co., Ltd. was established on July 22, 2020, and its business scope includes digital animation production, game software design and production, etc.
According to the above inquiry route, the operating company behind the "Whispering Lianzhu" App is Guangzhou Whale Color Network Technology Co., Ltd. Tianyancha App shows that on April 29, 2021, the company’s business scope includes technology intermediary services, technical services and technology development.
According to the new online game regulations implemented on August 30, 2021, all online game companies can only provide one-hour service to minors from 20: 00 to 21: 00 every day on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays; It is not allowed to provide game services to users who are not registered and logged in by their real names in any form.
The above two online game apps can be played without real-name authentication, let alone time limit.
"Selling dog meat by hanging sheep’s head", how did you do it?
Then, why can the above two apps called Idiom Learning Software, which are actually online games, be successfully put on the Apple App Store?
During the experience, Zhongxin Jingwei reporter noticed that before the installation of these two apps for the first time, the system required to download and install an installation package of about 150M, which is different from the usual experience of using apps.
A security engineer from an Internet manufacturer who did not want to be named analyzed with Zhongxin Jingwei reporter that the problem may be in this installation package."When some apps are put on the application market, they are a set of compliant packaging, including product introduction, age classification and screenshots of main pages. However, after users download them to their mobile phones, these apps may be updated through installation packages and transformed into another software, but the skin is still the same."
For the app store, there is no exemption. Hu Gang, deputy secretary-general of the Legal Work Committee of internet society of china, said in an interview with Zhongxin Jingwei that the App store participated in the distribution and sales of the App, and it was a community of interests with the developers. If there were problems with the app, the app store could not be immune to it, and it was a joint responsible person, so it should bear joint and several liabilities. He suggested,The app store should increase its daily inspection of the app, pay special attention to the user’s evaluation information of the app, and set up a report entrance.
Zhongxin Jingwei reporter noted that the newly revised Regulations on the Management of Mobile Internet Application Information Services issued on June 14, 2022 requires that application providers and application distribution platforms should consciously accept social supervision, set up eye-catching and convenient complaint reporting entrances, announce complaint reporting methods, improve mechanisms such as acceptance, disposal and feedback, and handle public complaints and reports in a timely manner.
In the download comment area of the above two Apps, many users commented that "this is a liar app" and "this is a game, not an idiom, so don’t download it!" But at present, these contents have not attracted the attention of Apple App Store. (Zhongxin Jingwei APP)