Chinese police shut down army of Internet trolls paid to blitz websites and social media

Trolls were paid hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of yuan to delete posts.

Police in central China detained 30 members of a “water army” – paid internet trolls – who made a profit of US$4.3mil (RM17.9mil) by deleting negative posts about clients who included “well known listed companies”, Chinese media reported.

The case, which involves four public relations companies, is the largest of its kind in provincial history, Hubei Public Security Bureau shared.