Over the weekend, the social media accounts of Thurman Maoyibei, a popular influencer on Chinese platforms such as TikTok Douyin, Weibo, and BiliBili, mysteriously vanished. Hangzhou police disclosed her real surname as Xu, announcing that she and her company faced administrative punishment, ranging from a warning to potential detention.

In a video posted on Friday night, Xu apologized for what she termed as "polluting the internet." With a combined following of 30 million across various platforms, she expressed regret for her actions.

The incident stemmed from a fabricated story Xu and her colleague, identified as Xue, produced and disseminated across multiple platforms starting on February 16th. In the video, Xu claimed that while on holiday in Paris during the Lunar New Year, café staff handed her two empty homework books belonging to a Grade 1 student named Qin Lang. She promised to return the books to the boy in China.

The story quickly went viral, sparking a nationwide search for the boy. Hashtags related to the incident gained millions of views on Douyin and Weibo, and even state-affiliated media reported on the topic. However, investigations by Hangzhou police revealed that the boy did not exist, and Xu and her colleague had bought the books themselves for the purpose of creating the viral video.

China's Ministry of Public Security classified the case as a "typical example" of its crackdown against online rumors. While much of the focus of online censorship in China traditionally targeted dissident and political content, authorities have increasingly targeted non-political online falsehoods in recent years.

In her apology, Xu admitted to fabricating the story due to her "light legal consciousness" and expressed remorse for disrupting internet order and causing significant negative influence. She called on her colleagues to learn from her mistake and refrain from creating or spreading false content, advocating for a clean and healthy online environment.

Xu, a former fashion designer turned vlogger, has been posting content under the name Thurman Maoyibei since 2020. While many supported the decision to shut down her accounts, some questioned whether the punishment was too severe for what they perceived as a "harmless joke."

Regardless of differing opinions, Xu's case underscores the importance of responsible content creation and the potential consequences of spreading misinformation in the digital age.

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