With only a few yuan to more than ten yuan, the IP territory can be easily modified - recently, the black and gray industrial chain of "IP agent" has quietly become popular in the network. On April 28, Sina Weibo released an announcement on the upgrade of IP territory function, announcing that it would open the display and comment on IP territory function, and launch the function of "displaying IP territory on the first level page of personal home page". On April 29, wechat also announced that it would display the IP territory on the public platform and could not take the initiative to close the relevant display for the time being.
Earlier, Zhihu, Tiktok, Kwai, today's headlines, baijiahao, xiaohongshu and other network platforms have announced that they will "open account IP territories".
The small IP territory has made many online bloggers and big V frequently "set up rollovers", which has also become the business experience of many people.
Recently, surging journalists searched for keywords such as "IP agent" and "IP address" on many e-commerce platforms and found that illegally modifying IP territory through agents has become a way for many businesses to make money. Among them, the lowest price is only 4 yuan / day, and the highest sales volume has exceeded 100000 copies.
Screenshot of "IP agent" sales page on e-commerce platform
It only costs more than ten yuan a month, and the buyer said the service was not stable enough
On how to modify the IP address, the surging reporter asked an e-commerce customer service, who sent a detailed price list listing Apple , Android mobile phones, PC computer ports and other different connection devices need about the type of service, and recommended a "fast static" product to the reporter, and asked the reporter to download the software.
The reporter opened the software and found that the IP territory can be changed arbitrarily according to individual needs, and the addresses that can be changed almost cover major provinces, cities and autonomous regions in China. Customer service said that it can provide a half-hour free test. If you feel good, you can pay again.
In terms of price, most of these IP modification software are charged monthly, quarterly or annual. The price varies from low to high, and there are also charges according to days. At least 4 yuan a day can modify the IP address at wechat, microblog and other clients at will. The monthly price is generally more than ten yuan, the quarterly price is between 40-50 yuan, and the annual price is generally more than 100 yuan.
Among them, it is also divided into "static" and "dynamic" software. According to the introduction provided by the seller, the static software has only one fixed IP per line, while the dynamic product has hundreds of thousands of IP per line. The IP will be changed every time it is disconnected and reconnected. Therefore, the price is more expensive than static software, about 4-5 times that of static software.
IP proxy reference price provided by the merchant
It is worth noting that recently, there are rumors that the agent cannot be used due to the upgrading of some platform technologies. Multiple sellers replied to reporters that whether it can be used or not needs to be tested and determined by themselves. At present, all platforms should be able to be used. However, "the IP rules have been changed again and again, and there is no guarantee that they will always work". "Dynamic products can be refunded, and the money will be deducted for a few days. Static products can't be refunded and replaced. They can be bought again." Said one of the top three sellers of an e-commerce platform.
Description of "changing IP" given by the seller
The reporter looked through the comments of buyers in the comment area and found that most of these services were not "stable". Many buyers who bought such services said that there were routines and Scams: for example, they promised to maintain for life at the time of purchase, but they would cut off the network after using it for a few weeks, and the seller would use this as an excuse to add a "deposit" and say "it can be used and returned to you".
Screenshot of buyer feedback in the comment area of e-commerce platform
In addition, many buyers encounter difficulties in safeguarding their rights after sales. Once the purchased software cannot be used, businesses often find various excuses to shirk or ask for more money. A buyer who commented on the business trip said that once the purchased software is connected, it will be automatically interrupted, while the seller suggested "go to Baidu if there is a problem".
It is worth noting that the reporter found on the idle fish platform that the keywords like "IP agent" and "IP address" can not retrieve the corresponding products, but a large number of sellers providing products can still be found by searching with words such as "map annotation" and "whole network map".
Lawyer: it's illegal to set up VPN without permission, and users may leak their privacy
Through the software, you can modify the IP territory by moving your finger. What is the principle behind it? Xia Hailong, a lawyer from Shanghai Shenlun law firm, told the surging news reporter that the IP territory can not be changed artificially. This purpose can only be achieved indirectly by changing the networking equipment and access network used by users. One of the ways to achieve this is to use VPN (virtual private network) and other agents to connect and entrust remote agents to log in.
At present, the "modifying IP territorial agent software" sold on the network is mostly realized by building VPN.
Using VPN or other means to modify IP territory without authorization may involve legal risks? Ji Yufeng, a partner of Shanghai Huiye law firm, told surging news reporters that personal words should be an dishonest behavior and must be illegal. However, there are no provisions on administrative punishment at present. Considering the modesty of administrative and criminal means, it is difficult to impose administrative and criminal penalties on users at present. "However, if an illegal or criminal act is committed by modifying IP, it can be punished according to the specific illegal or criminal act."
"The act of making or selling such software must be suspected of breaking the law or even committing a crime. This is the act of data hijacking and forgery. From the functional point of view, it has illegal control, illegal destruction of data, destruction of computer information system, etc. respectively or jointly. The corresponding crime may be the crime of providing tools specially used to invade computer information system. It depends on the specific implementation function." Ji Yufeng said.
Xia Hailong said that if users connect to the Internet through VPN without authorization, they are easy to be guided to violate relevant laws, while privately building and operating VPN services are illegal and may even violate the crime of illegal operation.
He also mentioned that taking various "operations" to change the IP territory is very likely to bring risks to the personal account and affect the security of personal information. For example, publishing content on behalf of remote agents has a great risk of divulging the account, password and personal privacy, and may also bear legal responsibility because the agents publish illegal content without authorization. At the same time, some scripts have been circulated on the network to find the real IP of the user behind the agent.