If the main stage of real money is reality, the main stage of virtual currency is the Internet.
Cryptocurrency investment is 100% done through the Internet, and information is also dominated by Internet communities and SNS, not TV or newspapers.
Due to the nature of virtual currency, the polluting of public opinion on the Internet has no choice but to have a greater ripple effect than real money or stocks.
So I went to a specialist who could solve this situation as quickly as possible.
“Woo-hyuk, So-young, what are you doing?”
A languid voice greets us as if we had just woken up.
It was Nella, the head of the newly established security team.
I held out the documents Lee So-yeong had collected in front of her.
“I want to check the IPs of the IDs who wrote comments here. Would that be possible?”
“Ip?”
Upon receiving the paperwork, Nella immediately began typing something into the computer.
The results came right away without waiting.
“This is the IP connected to Australia from Melbourne. And the next ID is Russia’s Vladivostok, Singapore, Washington, Tokyo… … They are all foreign IPs.”
“It’s amazing. Apparently, I’ve been scraping comments from domestic sites, but all of them are IPs for connecting overseas.”
“Maybe you used a VPN?”
VPN is a technology that encrypts communication between a terminal and a server.
Originally, the purpose of a VPN was to create a virtual private network, but in reality it was used to bypass the Internet, evade censorship, or hide the access area.
“Is there any way to track it down?”
“It can be done if the VPN provider provides the information. However, it can be considered difficult unless there is a request from the investigative agency.”
“hmm… … .”
While I’m lost in my thoughts for a moment, Lee So-young interrupts the conversation.
“Wait. If it’s not just one or two people using a VPN, but half of them on a page… … Does this mean that these malicious comments were systematically written?”
“It is very likely.”
“It’s really too much. What the hell did we do wrong to do this… … .”
Lee So-yeong shakes her tightly clenched fists as if she is getting angry.
Then Nella adds a little bit of words.
“Or we can hack the VPN provider and check for ourselves.”
“are you okay. I will file a formal complaint and face legal punishment. They said that the VPN provider would provide information if requested by the investigative agency.”
“It means that it can be, but the company does not unconditionally hand over customer information.”
“I will do it anyway. How much pain me and my teammates have suffered because of these malicious comments! I will definitely make you pay for your sins!”
Lee So-yeong, like a hot locomotive, seemed unwilling to stop. Both of her cheeks were already blushing from the heat.
“Soyoung, please calm down.”
“You know, CEO. How hard we struggled!”
“You seem to have misunderstood something, but I have no intention of opposing the punishment of malicious commenters. I just don’t like the method of legal punishment.”
Perhaps she thought it was unexpected, she opened her eyes wide and looked at me.
“Think carefully. Even if you go into the investigation of malicious commenters, how long will it take to collect evidence, get cooperation from overseas VPN companies, and identify yourself again?”
“About three or four months… … ?”
“At least three or four months. It may take more than a year. In the meantime, the hateful organization will continue to attach bad comments, right?”
“… … .”
“And let’s pretend we caught the bad guys. Even so, it would be fined at most, but would So-young be satisfied with that much?”
Lee So-young shakes her head. It’s so violent that it makes your head spin.
“So I think it is necessary to proceed with the complaint and to approach it in different directions as well.”
“how?”
“The reason why the hate comment organization posts bad comments. Find that out first and block it.”
If the malicious commenter is an individual, he may have posted it because he was bored.
However, if malicious comments were systematically poured out like in this case, there would surely be other targets.
“Let’s start by thinking about who will benefit from killing the acorn coin.”
“Competitors? No, Acorn Coin has no place to be called a competitor. There is no company that sees a reflective profit when the price goes down.”
“Then you must have been aiming for capital gains.”
Just as certain forces operate with false information in the stock market, there are operational forces aiming for market arbitrage in the coin market.
“How do you make a profit by lowering the price? Are you even buying low?”
“Coin short selling is possible on overseas exchanges. It’s a way to make money as the coin price goes down.”
“really… … Why did the exchange create something like short selling?”
“Because the fees are much higher than normal transactions.”
Leaving Lee So-yeong behind, he takes out his cell phone.
The subject of the call is Jane of CoinFever, an American cryptocurrency exchange.
-hello.
“Jane, long time no see.”
-It’s been a while since you didn’t talk on the phone last week?
“That is by my standards.”
-If someone hears it, stop making misunderstandings and start by talking about the business. What did you contact me about this time?
I smile and switch my phone to my other hand.
“Are you selling acorn coin short selling products on CoinFever?”
-By the way.
“I want to check the transaction history for the last month.”
-under… … Daniel. Are you going to do me such an embarrassing request every time? Anonymity is life in cryptocurrency.
“I know. So I didn’t ask for details, I just wanted to confirm.”
Even this is not easy, and there is no answer for a while. If it wasn’t for the occasional sigh, I would have thought the phone was disconnected.
– What exactly do I need to check?
“All you need is the history of short-selling products. There is no need to come up with an ID.”
-That much is possible. Instead, you must never say that we handed over information. You know?
“Of course you should.”
The email arrived less than a minute after the call was finished.
The e-mail contained the details of short selling transactions by date with IDs hidden in the manner of ****K**A.
“Soyoung, did you say that the number of malicious comments on the Internet increased dramatically at some point?”
“that’s right. It must have been from last Monday.”
“It’s Monday… … .”
The period when malicious comments increased and the period when short selling increased explosively.
Coincidentally, both times were on the same day.
* * *
Malicious posts directed at Acorn Coin increased day by day.
Previously, malicious posts were only uploaded to the virtual currency community, but now they have spread to the humor community and have become out of control.
“Well done. do well. This is why I have no choice but to love internet nerds.”
Na Min-seong burst into laughter as he looked at each of the acorn coin slander posted on the Internet.
In the early days, he had to work hard, stitch by stitch, using viral companies.
Thanks to their performance, the price of Acorn Coin has come down to the early $2 range.
If the market price goes down to the $1.8 level, Na Min-seong will earn a profit of 3 billion won.
‘I get the money and the vengeance, and the internet nerds get an insult to vent their anger on. That’s a win-win.’
Other cryptocurrencies do not collapse just by manipulating public opinion on the domestic Internet.
But Acorn Coin was different. It was developed with the intention of introducing it to Korean SNS, and most of the owners were in Korea.
That’s why if you bombard a few Korean communities intensively, the effect will appear immediately.
“easy. easy. Why is it so easy?”
Na Min-seong hums and continues to look around the community.
Then, when a post related to the acorn coin caught my eye, I continued to write criticism comments. Although he didn’t have to work directly anymore, he was feeling the joy of posting malicious comments.
Then, he caught a post about acorn coin information.
[Today at 6:00 PM, the Acorn Coin developer is holding an online press conference.]
The opponent who had been silent until now finally moved.
“Stupid things, it’s too late to explain now. They just need something to curse at.”
Na Min-seong was well aware of the characteristics of internet nerds.
Whether they explain or apologize, once the malicious commenters are targeted, they just hold back and constantly pour out malicious comments.
Time passed, and at 6:00, when the press conference was scheduled, an Internet real-time broadcasting room was opened.
Since it was an issue of high interest on the Internet, more than 100,000 people gathered in the broadcasting room in an instant.
From noble mtl dot com
-From now on, we will start the press conference of WHTS Company, the developer of Acorn Coin.
Starting with the moderator’s remarks, the camera illuminates the podium.
Standing on the podium was, to my surprise, a young woman with a clear face like a doll.
– Nice to meet you guys. My name is Soyoung Lee, who is in charge of the development of Acorn Coin.
Messages about Lee So-young’s appearance poured into the chat window like a waterfall.
Most of the messages were s*xually harassing, referring to body parts such as the face, legs, breasts, or buttocks.
-I am here to address the countermeasures against the false and slanderous comments about Acorn Coin spread on the Internet.
-We, WHTS Company, have requested a law firm to punish all false postings and malicious comments spread on the Internet, and plan to complete the process by the end of this month at the earliest.
As soon as the word “law firm” is mentioned, s*xual harassment messages appearing on the real-time chat window disappear.
-And I would like to inform you of an important fact that I found out during the investigation.
-There was a price manipulation force behind this malicious comment incident. They have profited from short selling large amounts of Acorn Coins and spreading malicious rumors.
This time, messages from acorn coin investors are pouring into the chat window.
Somehow, along with the message that public opinion has been strange lately, a message asking if there is any evidence is also posted.
-We have completed all evidence collection and legal procedures prior to this press conference.
-From now on, I will not stand by and watch the operation forces play tricks. We will actively respond. And we’ll show you the results.
-That is all.
The brief press conference lasted less than 5 minutes.
The chat window response was split exactly in half. Opinion was that it was cool to take a hardline response, and that it was too much to sue no matter how bad it was.
But accusation is only a side bridge. The real purpose of this online press conference was different.
It was a declaration of war against the forces.
“what? won’t you let go What if you don’t sit around? Do you think you can catch me like that?”
Na Min-seong, the party to the declaration of war, started laughing at the press conference.
When he posted malicious comments, he did not simply use a VPN, but also used a special browser that ensured complete anonymity. That’s why, unless the FBI level came forward, there was absolutely nothing to be pursued.
Zing-Zing-Zing-
Sometimes the cell phone rings. Na Min-seong leisurely answered the phone with the tip of his chin.
-Brother, did you just watch the press conference?
“uh. I saw. The one with a smooth face and full breasts looked appetizing.”
– Isn’t this the time to say such things?
Na Min-seong giggled and laughed for a long time before continuing.
“I’ve already taken care of it so it doesn’t get caught, so just proceed as planned.”
-Are you really okay?
“Don’t be a boy. I have already lost all my property in short selling.”
– It looks too dangerous. Now public opinion may turn.
“If I start working on comments again, is there a way to stop them? In a battle of public opinion on the Internet, the one who attacks is the best. the former. okay?”
It is easy to spread false slander on the Internet, but it is next to impossible to pick it up again.
Na Min-seong knew these characteristics of the Internet better than anyone else, so his confidence skyrocketed.