Chapter 376 The War Begins At that time, the atmosphere at the Baidu company headquarters was particularly tense. In the conference room, the heads of various departments sat in a row with serious expressions, waiting for Li Hong's instructions. Li Hong stood at the front of the conference room, his hands on the table, his eyes grim. He slowly glanced at everyone present, his eyes revealing determination and a hint of coldness. "Everyone, our decision must be decisive." “Issuing a joint statement with multiple companies is definitely not enough!” Li Hong spoke in a low and majestic voice, "The expansion of Zemeng's operating system has posed a direct threat to our business." "Their independent ecological model will obviously not bring us any benefits." Marketing Director Zhang Feng nodded and took over the conversation: "If Zemeng's ecosystem is successful, users may completely leave us."
"Once our apps are transcoded and used, they can bypass our system and acquire users directly." Li Hong snorted coldly, his eyes stern: "So, we have to take the initiative." He turned his gaze to the technical director Liu Chen and asked, "Liu Chen, what are the results of the technical evaluation?" Liu Chen sat upright and answered quickly: "After analysis by the technical department, we found that the Zemeng system was running our application." “They did use a transcoding technology to bypass our permission settings, so that they could forcibly implant Baidu’s applications into their ecosystem.” Li Hong sneered: "Is this what they call openness? It's simply a blatant infringement on our technology." He paused, his tone cold and stern, "In that case, let us officially announce that any Baidu application is prohibited from running on the Zemeng system." As soon as he finished speaking, the senior executives in the conference room nodded one after another, with a look of rejection in their eyes. Marketing Director Zhang Feng frowned and asked, "Mr. Li, how do we do it? Block it directly from the source?" Li Hong nodded: "That's right, we need to protect the source code and set up a verification system that cannot be bypassed." "Any operation that runs the Baidu application on the Zemeng system will automatically trigger a security warning and block the service." “This will affect some users.” Financial Director Wang Cheng expressed concern that "this part of users may turn to Zemeng's alternative products or even leave our platform completely." "User loss in the short term is inevitable," Li Hong said calmly, "but we can't compromise because of this. If we allow Zemeng to continue to expand, the consequences will be disastrous." "That's right!" Zhang Feng agreed. "We must show our bottom line, otherwise other companies will think we are weak and can be bullied." Technical Director Liu Chen took out a technical report. Pointing to the key points, he said: "We already have a solution that can verify and upgrade all applications through source code updates." "Any attempt to run on an unauthorized device will be automatically blocked by the system." Li Hong sneered: "Very good, this is the effect we want."
"Since they are not going to abide by industry rules, don't blame us for being rude." At this time, Marketing Director Zhang Feng interrupted and said, "Mr. Li, since we have decided to ban Zemeng, why don't we join forces with other application software companies to form an industry consensus." "Let's boycott Ze Meng's transcoding behavior together to create greater pressure." Li Hong nodded in agreement, with a sharp glint in his eyes: "That's right. Penguin, Shengda, and several other major application companies have the same attitude as us." "We can definitely push for an industry statement to formally announce the rejection of the Zemeng system, claiming that this is to protect user privacy and data security." The atmosphere in the conference room was tense and depressing, and Baidu's senior executives were on high alert. A targeted public opinion war is about to begin. Li Hong stood in front of the conference table, looking coldly at the draft statement in his hand. He lowered his head and recited it, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, then he looked up and looked around at everyone. "Okay, this is the statement we're going to make." Li Hong's voice was cold and stern, with unquestionable majesty. He cleared his throat and began to read: "We at Baidu attach great importance to user privacy and data security." "After in-depth technical analysis, it was found that the Zemeng operating system was suspected of collecting relevant data from major applications during its linkage with applications." "This data includes users' operation records, browsing history, and even sensitive personal privacy information." Li Hong paused and glanced at the executives sitting around the conference table. It continued: “This behavior seriously violates the privacy rights of users and poses a huge security risk.” "Out of responsibility to protect user privacy and data security, we have decided to refuse to support any Baidu applications running on the Zemeng system." Hearing this, the financial director Wang Cheng couldn't help but nodded and sneered: "In this way, public opinion will naturally question them." Marketing Director Zhang Feng echoed, "That's right. What users care about most is privacy and security. The more serious our words are, the more the public will distrust Zemeng." Li Hong raised his mouth slightly and continued: "We also want to emphasize that if the Zemeng operating system is unauthorized." "It is illegal to run Baidu's application by means of transcoding without authorization. We will take legal measures to protect our rights." "Perfect!" Zhang Feng patted the table with a satisfied smile on his face. “This statement not only hits the user’s pain points, but also protects our own position, allowing us to occupy the moral high ground.” Li Hong nodded: "That's right, since they don't follow the rules, don't blame us for being ruthless." “Send the statement and let the whole network see our attitude.” Soon, this statement was quickly released to major social platforms and news websites. Within just a few minutes, it sparked heated discussions across the entire Internet. In the conference room, as soon as Baidu’s statement was released, Wang Jian, vice president of Penguin Company, received the news.
A sneer appeared on his face, with a hint of complacency in his eyes. "Now that whiteness has taken action, we penguins cannot fall behind." Wang Jian said to the executives around him, with a hint of coldness in his voice. "Mr. Li has already stated that he has decided to completely ban the Zemeng operating system." Technical Director Sun Hao said, "Videos, music, and social networking are all not allowed to run on the Zemeng system." "We will regard any unauthorized use as infringement." Wang Jian nodded with satisfaction and said slowly: "We will issue a statement to make our position clear." "If the Zemeng operating system uses Penguin's applications without authorization through transcoding or other means, it would be an illegal infringement." He paused and looked at the marketing director Liu Qiang: "Mr. Liu, the statement should highlight the importance of user privacy and security." "Let everyone know that we banned Ze Meng out of responsibility to our users." Liu Qiang nodded: "I understand. I will emphasize the words privacy and security." “This is what users care about most.” Soon after, Penguin released a statement on its official account and major news platforms. The statement was harshly worded, saying that certain actions of the Zemeng operating system "are suspected of violating user privacy and data security." The statement also specifically mentioned that all video, music and social applications under Penguin will no longer support the Zemeng operating system. Any behavior that forcibly bypasses system permissions will be considered illegal. Once this statement was released, public opinion exploded again. The media followed up with reports. "Today's Headlines" published a headline news titled "Privacy risks are high, Penguin Company completely bans Zemeng system." The article reads: “As a leading Internet company in Xiaguo, Penguin Corporation officially announced today that it will no longer support the Zemeng system. "Penguin pointed out that the technical means of the Zemeng operating system are suspected of bypassing permissions and infringing user privacy." "This statement has undoubtedly put Ze Meng at the center of public attention." The article also specifically pointed out: "Today, when user privacy is increasingly valued, any behavior that infringes on privacy will be severely condemned by society." "Penguin's move is undoubtedly in the interests of its users." On the other hand, Caixin Weekly took an industry perspective and published an article titled "Old Internet companies jointly ban Zemeng's ecosystem from being disrupted" The article mentioned: "Following Baidu, Penguin also announced a ban on Zemeng operating system." "This is not only a consideration of privacy and security, but also a counterattack against Zemeng Technology's attempt to break the existing pattern." The article analyzed that "Zemeng is trying to build a self-contained ecological chain, which poses a direct threat to established Internet companies." "The joint statement by Baido and Penguin may just be the beginning, and more companies may join the ban in the future."
Sure enough, the snowball of public opinion kept growing, and the third and fourth technology giants expressed their views one after another. , a well-known e-commerce platform, also issued a similar statement. It said that its shopping app does not support the Zemeng operating system, and any unauthorized operation will be regarded as "data abuse." ’s statement said: “Users’ shopping habits and personal preferences are extremely sensitive privacy data.” "We will never allow any unauthorized operating system to access this data." Subsequently, the chain online education platform also joined the boycott and publicly stated that it did not support the Zemeng system. "We cannot trust the privacy protection mechanism of the Zemeng system," said in a statement. “Therefore, we do not support running ’s educational content and applications on the Zemeng platform at this time.” "If any user forcibly uses it without permission, the consequences will be at their own risk." After these statements were released one after another, the media rushed to report them, leading public opinion to a new climax. Science and Technology Daily published a long commentary titled "An industry counterattack over privacy." The article pointed out: "Privacy issues have become a core topic in the Internet industry, and Zemeng OS's behavior of bypassing authorization has triggered a strong reaction from established companies." "This is not just about maintaining privacy, but also a counterattack against the industrial landscape." The article also analyzed: "A series of companies including Baidu, Penguin, , and have expressed their views one after another." "Banning the Zemeng system has brought unprecedented pressure to Zemeng Technology." "If Zemeng cannot respond to external privacy questions, their user trust will be greatly affected." "New Perspective Finance" was more direct, with an eye-catching title: "Oppose Ze Meng! Protect user privacy, companies collectively boycott." The article stated: "With the rise of Zemeng System, established Internet companies have felt threatened." "But more importantly, Zemeng's technical methods do pose the risk of violating user privacy." "The ban by established companies is not only to protect themselves, but also to create a clean online environment for users." As public pressure mounts, the discussion heat on social platforms continues to rise. On Weibo and forums, large numbers of users began to forward and comment on these statements. Many users are highly concerned about the topic of "privacy and security". One netizen commented: "Is the Zemeng system really safe? Even Baidu and Penguin refused to support it, there must be something fishy going on." Another user reposted the article and commented: "Support Penguin and Whiteness!" "User privacy is the most important thing. I would rather not use Ze Meng than not ensure the security of my data!" Of course, there are also a few voices supporting Ze Meng, as some bloggers in the technology circle pointed out. The move by established companies is more like a "joint effort to suppress competitors" rather than a real move for users.
“But these voices were quickly drowned out by the huge torrent of public opinion and almost no one paid attention. Inside Zemeng Technology. Lu Shan stood in front of his desk, calmly looking at the news pushes, his brows slightly furrowed. He knew that the pressure from public opinion had reached an unprecedented level. The statements from Baidu and Penguin undoubtedly put a heavy label of "privacy threat" on Zemeng Technology. "These old guys are really good at fanning the flames." He whispered to himself, with a hint of coldness in his eyes. Ma Lijuan walked in with a serious expression: "Mr. Lu, public opinion is extremely unfavorable to us now, and the trust of users is rapidly declining." “A lot of people are suspicious of us because of privacy issues.” Chen Yang also rushed over, his face full of anxiety: "Mr. Lu, we must immediately issue a statement to refute and clarify these groundless accusations." Lu Shan shook his head and said calmly: "We must fight back, but we cannot directly deny their accusations. This will only make users think that we are covering up." Lu Shan stood in the middle of the office with a stern expression. He said calmly to the team around him: "Since they have jointly launched a public opinion war, we will fight it with them." He turned to look at Chen Yang and ordered: "Contact the marketing team of Jiyue Browser immediately and initiate a public opinion counterattack." “The content must be skillful and cannot directly refute the other party’s accusation.” "It's to guide everyone to think about why these established Internet companies would rather ban us than support the development of domestic operating systems." Chen Yang nodded and said, "Understood, Mr. Lu." "We will arrange for some bloggers to cooperate with the media to push content in an informal manner and guide users to question it themselves." A few hours later, some sporadic blogger articles and short videos began to appear on the Jiyue browser. A well-known technology blogger said indignantly in the video: "I really can't stand it anymore, you know?" "Zemeng Technology has actually been communicating and cooperating with these established companies, and is even willing to give up most of its profits!" "Ze Meng's goal is not to make money at all, but to build an operating system ecosystem that belongs to Xiaguo." In the video, the blogger shook his head and sighed: "What's the result? Not only did these companies not support Ze Meng, they also banned Ze Meng, making it seem like Ze Meng was a threat to their privacy." "Tell me, is this for the users or for their own benefit?" As soon as the video was released, the comment section was boiling with excitement, and many netizens began to reflect on the motives of those old companies. "I support what the blogger said! It would be a good thing if Zemeng could produce a domestically produced system. Why are these companies boycotting it?" commented a netizen. "Yeah, I thought Ze Meng really had privacy issues." “After watching the blogger’s video, I finally understood that these companies are just trying to gain a monopoly, right?” (End of this chapter)