Recently, the “anti-counterfeiting” internet celebrity with millions of fans, “Brother Song Fighting Tigers” (real name Shen Mousong) and its members, have been classified by the Changchun Public Security Bureau of Jilin Province as a “criminal organization with underworld characteristics,” with more than 20 individuals, including Shen himself, being arrested. Analysts believe that under the opaque authoritarian system of the Chinese Communist Party, cracking down on “anti-counterfeiting influencers” may trigger a chilling effect, impacting individuals who genuinely seek to fight counterfeiting and uphold civil rights.
On August 28, the Changchun Public Security Bureau issued a notice stating that the internet influencer Shen Mousong, known as “Brother Song Fighting Tigers,” since 2023 has assembled individuals such as Zhang, Wang, Zeng Kai, and Zeng Zhong, engaging in “illegal criminal activities such as extortion, provocation, and disturbance of more than a hundred businesses nationwide under the guise of exposing product flaws and fighting counterfeiting.” According to the notice, “more than 20 individuals led by Shen Mousong” have been designated as participants in a criminal organization with underworld characteristics and have been recently arrested.
According to reports from “Chang’an Street Insights” WeChat public account and “Taishan Finance,” “Brother Song Fighting Tigers” has around 2 million fans online, exposing counterfeit products such as Tianbatian Crystal Wide Noodles and a certain brand of camel milk powder endorsed by Xingjifei, and after amassing a large following, began live streaming product promotions.
Among these activities, the counterfeit products of its “anti-counterfeiting” Good Product Shop have garnered attention. In November 2024, “Brother Song Fighting Tigers” collaborated with the anti-counterfeiting influencer “Bounty Hunter Ashes” to expose multiple products from the Good Product Shop, claiming falsified ingredient lists including cassava starch mixed in lotus root powder and the absence of “flour” in hot and sour noodle products.
In response, the official market supervision department of Wuhan issued a bulletin on November 18, stating that based on the investigation results of the Anhui and Henan market supervision departments and their own investigation, the reported products were found to be compliant, and the allegations were unsubstantiated. The next morning, Good Product Shop posted an announcement on Weibo stating that the company had collected and preserved relevant evidence and would file a report with the public security authorities, while also initiating legal proceedings against “Brother Song Fighting Tigers” and “Bounty Hunter Ashes.”
On November 20, “Brother Song Fighting Tigers” and “Bounty Hunter Ashes” released a video stating that the Hefei Market Supervision and Administration Bureau had only conducted tests on samples retained by Anhui Yanzhifang Food Co., Ltd., excluding multiple product batches held by the whistleblowers. On November 21, the two influencers announced through video that they would file an administrative lawsuit against the East and West Lake District Market Supervision and Administration Bureau of Wuhan through mail and also sue Good Product Shop, seeking punitive damages.
Subsequently, on November 24, all videos related to the incident involving Good Product Shop were removed by “Brother Song Fighting Tigers,” and the platform restricted further dissemination. After 10 months, the Changchun Public Security Bureau issued the aforementioned notice and publicly called for the collection of criminal clues and evidence against “Brother Song Fighting Tigers.”
Some netizens have questioned, “Anti-counterfeiting got caught.” “Arresting before gathering evidence?” “How can one be extorted without counterfeit goods?” However, others believe that “being investigated for organized crime is very serious.”
Yue Shan, a current affairs commentator familiar with the Chinese Communist system, told The Epoch Times that due to continuous political movements by the Chinese Communist Party, including the Cultural Revolution and the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests, the society’s morality has declined, leading to rampant counterfeit goods and providing a market and public support for some professional counterfeit fighters.
“Of course, this does not rule out the moral issues of the operators themselves and involvement in illegal activities, but if there were fair and effective regulatory mechanisms in place, this would be a normal management issue.”
However, Yue Shan also pointed out that whenever the Chinese Communist Party suppresses certain groups or individuals, there are always hidden motives, including suspicions of exploiting crackdowns on private industries for profit. Now, the authorities are targeting self-media through anti-crime measures. The potential political purposes behind these actions remain to be observed.
Yue Shan expressed concern that “under the opaque authoritarian system of the Chinese Communist Party, the crackdown on anti-counterfeiting influencers might have a chilling effect, affecting individuals who genuinely seek to fight counterfeiting and uphold civil rights.”