As yet another high-tech subsidiary of the Westeros system, Nokia's stock surge on its first day of listing became a hot topic in mainstream media worldwide.
After the weekend, a forward-looking article by Forbes, using Nokia as a lead, became the most discussed topic in late August.
In its detailed review of Nokia's growth trajectory and development prospects, Forbes also announced that it would officially release the 1993 list of the 400 richest Americans on September 6, with the global rich list to follow in November.
In previous years, there might have been some suspense about who would top the lists—Japan's real estate tycoons, the Walton family, and so on, were all strong contenders.
Now, however, there was no doubt about who would be at the top.
The only curiosity was how much Simon Westeros' net worth had increased this year.
The lawsuit and media frenzy triggered by the 58list website fraud case did not subside due to Nokia's listing and the upcoming Forbes rich list announcement; instead, they intensified.
After the San Francisco Chronicle sparked the topic, other newspapers followed suit, raising various concerns about 58list across the USA.
On August 23, a Chicago alderman publicly accused Igrette of allowing irresponsible citizens to sell pit bulls, which are banned in the Chicago area, on the 58list website in the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Houston Chronicle published screenshot evidence claiming to have found illegal prostitution ads on 58list.
A young couple in Miami attempted to sell their three-month-old daughter on 58list.
A user in Washington discovered their stolen car listed in the New York section of 58list.
And so on.
Similar to the San Francisco job scam, other cases began appearing in the newspapers.
Initially silent and observant, the traditional print media seized on the opportunity presented by the scam to launch a sudden and united offensive, clearly intending to nip the fledgling 58list website in the bud.
As the controversy continued, a Republican senator interviewed by the Washington Post stated that he would call for a congressional hearing on whether the 58list website under Igrette was complicit in criminal activities endangering public safety to decide whether to initiate further investigations and lawsuits.
The backlash from traditional print media was entirely expected.
Based on the user data released by major internet service providers in July and August, by June 30, 1993, the number of World Wide Web users in the USA alone had reached 37.69 million, covering over 60 million internet users. It was estimated that by the end of 1993, the number of web users in the USA would reach around 46 million, covering nearly 75 million internet users.
Seventy-five million internet users were close to 30% of the USA's total population of 260 million.
Although still far from the over 90% coverage of household appliances like TVs and telephones, it was undeniable that this 30% user base represented the most economically powerful group in the USA.
Similarly, this group also constituted the prime customer base for the American print media industry.
Even though many were reluctant to admit it, with the rapid spread of the internet, the decline of the traditional print media industry was becoming increasingly evident.
For a monthly fee equivalent to a newspaper subscription, consumers could enjoy more timely and diverse news, email, social networking, online gaming, and other services, leaving little doubt about their choice.
In the original timeline, in June 1993, the New York Times Company acquired another major East Coast newspaper, the Boston Post, for $1.1 billion.
Probably sensing the bleak future of the print media industry, this transaction, although still happening, was for only $800 million, a nearly 30% drop in price, largely due to the rise of internet media.
Thus, the traditional print media industry had likely been waiting for an opportunity.
The launch of the 58list website and the occurrence of the San Francisco scam finally provided the traditional print media with an excuse to challenge Igrette.
After all, within just over half a month since its launch, the 58list website's millions of classified ads had already caused potential losses worth billions to traditional print media. If free classified information websites on internet platforms became the norm, the traditional print media's $20 billion annual advertising revenue would vanish.
A massive loss of $20 billion, if not dispersed among over 2,000 newspapers across the USA, could justify even murder and arson, let alone starting a war.
The American newspaper giants had indeed incited wars before.
Simon took the public relations crisis seriously, personally helping form the crisis response team for this incident, although he did not feel overly threatened.
Such a historic trend of industrial revolution could not be halted by a few public opinion offensives.
Even if 58list were ultimately shut down due to pressure, Igrette would not suffer much.
The spark had been lit; even if 58list shut down, more classified information websites would inevitably emerge.
Without the strong backing of Igrette, those less reliable classified information websites would only pose greater potential threats to users and would be less capable of employing private investigative teams to protect user rights.
The team led by Martin Dinham took just three days to identify the suspects, but problems arose during the manhunt phase.
Sensing the escalating situation, by the time the team located some suspects' residences, the targets had already fled. Fortunately, further clues allowed the investigation team to confirm the suspects' identities.
Initially, they planned to have the victims identify the suspects and then issue an official wanted notice, but it seemed someone did not want the scam solved. The San Francisco police, who should have been eager to solve the case given the media attention, displayed obvious reluctance.
Even the two victims who had agreed to cooperate with Igrette's investigation team suddenly ceased communication with Igrette, leaving only their lawyers' formal statements.
It was foreseeable that once the wanted notice was issued, the suspects would only go into deeper hiding. Given the San Francisco police's attitude, capturing them would become even more challenging.
Simon decided to use this incident to make a statement, warning potential criminals against targeting Igrette's platform.
Realizing the official indifference, Simon mobilized half of his intelligence team to gather in San Francisco and discreetly issued a $100,000 bounty per suspect in the underground networks of the western states and even the border areas of Mexico.
For the gangs spread across North America, who had much better information than official channels, a $100,000 bounty per head was a substantial sum.
Hiring a professional hitman might not even cost that much.
Thus, within a week of the bounty's release, information quickly arrived, and someone contacted Martin Dinham to bring cash and meet in Tijuana, Mexico, at the border with Southern California.
Surprisingly, the suspects had indeed fled to Mexico.
If the official wanted notice had been issued, unless the suspects returned to the USA, capturing them would have been a pipe dream.
Moreover, there were not just three people targeted by the bounty, but a total of five.
The local gang in Tijuana was quite generous. Though unaware of why these individuals were wanted, they only accepted $300,000 for the three targeted suspects, offering the other two for free and eagerly expressing their hope for future 'cooperation.'
After all, numerous individuals fled to Mexico from the USA each year for various reasons.
If they were all this valuable, it would be a massive business.
The gang leader who liaised with Martin Dinham even offered to 'deal with' the suspects directly in Mexico to minimize risks in returning to North America, for a little extra money to make them disappear completely. One of the unfortunate souls, bound and laid out like cargo nearby, wet his pants on the spot.
A rather dramatic scene unfolded next.
Amidst the media uproar, the five fraudsters suddenly turned themselves in at the local San Francisco police station.
Identified by the victims and other evidence, the suspects' apprehension left the authorities with no choice but to formally arrest the five-member fraud gang.
However, this was only the beginning.
As the newspapers had not yet adjusted their stance from criticizing Igrette, new information emerged. During interrogations, it was revealed that the fraud gang had previously conducted several scams using classified ads in traditional newspapers before moving to 58list, simply evading capture until this latest scheme.
Photos of the five suspects circulated online amidst the media frenzy. To corroborate their confessions, victims from Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles came forward, identifying the five as perpetrators of previous scams, most of which had involved traditional newspaper classified ads.
This revelation stirred up quite a commotion.
Igrette's crisis management team had consistently argued that the scam on 58list was not unique, with numerous similar cases originating from traditional media. Igrette's portal even listed a series of more severe fraud cases than this one.
Yet, the traditional media's unanimous condemnation of 58list had ignored these points.
Everyone claimed to be addressing the issue at hand, avoiding broader discussions.
Now, however, the focus was undeniably on the issue at hand.
The criminal gang had committed job scams using traditional media across North America, with seven confirmed police records within a few days. Despite these multiple crimes, the related newspapers had not offered any explanation to the victims, nor had the police solved those cases.
Conversely, as soon as they attempted online fraud through 58list, the entire gang was captured within half a month.
So, between traditional media and online platforms, which was more reliable? Which truly facilitated crime? Which better safeguarded user interests?
The public's eyes were wide open.
Throughout this period, Igrette had been transparent about the details of the incident and the progress of the case on its website, providing official responses and solutions to various newspaper accusations. Consequently, despite the one-sided traditional media attacks, 58list's classified information service platform remained largely unaffected and even grew in popularity.
With the resolution of the San Francisco job scam and the unexpected
turn of events, public opinion shifted overwhelmingly in favor of Igrette.
Undeniably, while traditional media still held significant influence, Igrette's portal, which nearly monopolized internet access, was equally powerful.
With over 60 million internet users in North America and 20 million daily users of Igrette's portal, this information dissemination platform's influence far surpassed any single federal newspaper.
As the situation settled, stepping back seemed the most sensible choice, though some were clearly unwilling to concede.
Thus, another revelation emerged.
In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, the five fraudsters claimed to have been illegally detained and threatened with death by Igrette, forcing them to surrender to the police. The suspects then announced plans to sue Igrette for severe violations of civil rights.
The media buzzed with excitement.
Soon after, tabloids provided even more detailed accounts, suggesting that to capture the fraud gang, Igrette had issued bounties across the USA and even Mexico's underworld, hinting at possible ties between Igrette and Mexican gangs.
These sensational disclosures aimed to tarnish Igrette and the entire Westeros system, yet the outcome diverged from some people's expectations.
The public merely found the unfolding drama increasingly entertaining.
Westerners do not adhere strictly to black-and-white moral values, as seen in many Hollywood movies where villains are often redeemed.
Igrette's efforts to capture fraudsters, including issuing nationwide bounties and crossing borders to retrieve suspects from Mexico, seemed like the heroic actions of a super-Robin Hood.
As for illegal detention and death threats?
The public saw the fraudsters as the villains.
Villains deserved such treatment, didn't they?
Of course, Igrette firmly denied the media's allegations and the fraudsters' accusations.
Illegal detention? Nonsense.
Death threats?
Can you get the Mexican gang to testify for you?
Moreover, if anyone continued to commit crimes using Igrette's platforms, Igrette would spare no effort to protect user rights.
Threats?
No, just a friendly reminder.
San Francisco, Palo Alto.
The date was September 3, a Friday.
The matter was largely resolved.
In a conference room at Igrette's headquarters, arranged by the company, 58list's CEO Michael Novareck was being interviewed by CNN about the series of events that had transpired.
"In fact, allegations of illegal dog sales, prostitution, human trafficking, and other illicit posts on the 58list platform across the country were all addressed and removed by our reviewers within 30 minutes, causing no real harm to users. These accusations are therefore unfounded. Additionally, besides our automated filtering system, which screens tens of thousands of illicit posts daily, we are continuously hiring human reviewers to ensure the platform's compliance."
The interviewer, a young woman named Laura Spencer, in her twenties, dressed in a white business suit with a slightly doll-like face, asked pointedly, "So, Mr. Novareck, how can you ensure that such fraud cases won't happen again?"
Michael Novareck responded, "Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that, and I believe no advertising platform can. However, we have provided ample warnings to users. By staying vigilant, everyone can minimize the risk of such incidents. Moreover, if any unwanted incidents occur, as in this case, we will do everything possible to help users recover their losses."
Laura Spencer nodded slightly, still probing, "What about the fraud suspects' allegations of illegal detention and death threats against Igrette, Mr. Novareck, are they true?"
"Absolutely not."
"Then why did they voluntarily return from Mexico to surrender to the police? Don't you find that highly unreasonable?"
"It is indeed unreasonable, but I think everyone would prefer this outcome. Or, Laura, do you want them to remain at large?"
"I'm just trying to understand why they voluntarily surrendered to the police."
Michael Novareck, showing no impatience with Laura Spencer's questioning, instead smiled playfully, "Laura, you just said it yourself—they did so voluntarily."
"..."
Outside the conference room, Simon listened to the conversation through a glass window, also smiling, and turned to Bezos, "I'll leave the rest to you. I'm planning to take a maternity leave with Janet, probably until November. Jeff, don't be careless, and also, in Washington, although I've made some arrangements, you should set up a permanent lobbying office. If Congress insists on holding a hearing, cooperate as much as possible. While Congress may not always help us, ignoring them can result in years of relentless harassment."
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