What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 522 Pressing the Acceleration Button
"The US online platform has filed a complaint with the Virginia Lottery Commission, the tax authorities, and other government agencies against King BBS for multiple offenses, including operating an underground lottery, refusing to pay taxes, and collecting citizens' personal bank account information for money laundering."

Because Virginia has difficulty contacting California police to obtain enforcement authority, the lottery commission and the FIB are intertwined. If Tang is indeed taken away by them, he will immediately enter detention proceedings, first being investigated for money laundering by the FIB, and then transferred to the local lottery commission and the IRS for prosecution and investigation, and placed under indefinite detention.

After the incident, renowned lawyer David Boyce was urgently called in and used his connections and analytical skills to quickly uncover the truth.

Irving, who was standing nearby, immediately asked:

"Underground lottery? DaWang BBS does not sell lottery tickets."

Boyce: "The evidence submitted by the US online is that Tang requested registration and bank cards, which can be seen as an exchange of benefits equivalent to paying money, and there are also different prizes, which is considered to be a basis for gambling."

"What about American Online itself? They have the same activities."

"Of course I know, but in practice they entrust a foundation to carry out the work, and that foundation is controlled by a lottery company, so..."

Boyce felt there was no need for further explanation, and turned to Tang Wen, who was deep in thought, and said:

"Tang, as long as you don't go to Virginia, these charges are not a problem. The people who came to see you today have angered the California authorities. They have already taken them into custody and are preparing to prosecute them. They can't cause any trouble."

But I saw something even more fatal.

"Which point?"

Tang Wen naturally raised his head, his face showing no worry or fear, only a deathly calm.

He brought Bumblebee along on this trip under the guise of bringing his beloved car. Under the protection of two special captains, as long as he didn't use the Mushroom Egg, nothing would happen. At worst, he could teleport away.

He was considering the appropriate level of retaliation.

Boyce: "Geigin Networks is a major company, and America Online's move doesn't just represent them."

"..."

"..."

Owen had completely understood and couldn't help but look at Tang Wen.

In fact, those in the industry know that no matter how popular DaWang BBS is, it will only be a short-lived phenomenon. It is impossible for it to conquer all American netizens all at once, and it is far from being able to overwhelm the local market. America Online has overreacted.

More reasons stem from their status as outsiders. Despite being the greatest and most developed place in the empire, it has absolutely nothing to do with inclusivity.

For example, the incident of vandalizing Japanese cars was started by the US.

Let alone Dongda, even European companies that seem more similar have to be careful when trying to get a foothold in the market. Gaijin Network has been rejected by the entire local internet industry.

In addition, the attitude of the federal authorities is also difficult to define. Although the veteran lawyer Boyce is new to the Internet business, he is well aware that DaWang BBS has been caught red-handed: bank cards!
"However, this is not a fatal problem, as there are currently no privacy regulations related to online services."

Having received a considerable sum of money, Boyce offered the most appropriate advice:
"You only have a few days left on your trip anyway, so you can finish it quietly and leave as soon as possible. After that, you won't have to worry about your safety anymore, and you can hire a professional team to handle this lawsuit."

"At least in terms of illegal cross-state arrests, false accusations, reputational and emotional damages, and procedural injustices, there's a lot I can do. I'm confident I can make the Virginia authorities pay at least a million dollars in compensation, and also generate public sympathy for you. Bringing down a few key culprits won't be a problem."

Tang Wen: "What about the King's BBS and Twitter?"

Boyce offered his sincere advice: "At least stop publicizing it so much. The United States can tolerate foreign software companies, but they are just too big to be true."

……

Boyce’s statement was quickly proven true.

The arrest, which started with great fanfare but ended abruptly, was kept under wraps because it involved FIB agents, and headquarters wanted to downplay the incident.

California authorities ultimately only sued the lottery commission, but did not appear in the media.

After being blocked, Gaikin Networks tried to get media coverage first, but instead received a response from the IAA.

"Tang, this is a misunderstanding."

Agent Jones has been promoted to Inspector Jones. This time, he not only represents the IAA but also brings along people from Prism Tower who call themselves Eamon, as well as several other mysterious figures.

The group of people visited together and were very courteous, offering apologies as soon as they met.

Eamon stated seriously that the FIB agent had accepted bribes and had a long history of defamation and extortion, and had been dismissed and arrested without any federal authorization.

Tang Wen had some doubts, but Eamon's next sentence proved that what he had just said was true:

"We hope that Gekkin Networks will join the Prism Building Information Security Agreement to ensure that citizens' information security is under federal protection."

Simply put, the Empire wasn't ready to make a move yet, and only now has it remembered to ask Gagkin Network to hand over the data.

What puzzled Tang Wen was that social networks hadn't even really developed yet, so how could the Federation have noticed it so early? Was that data... really that important?
If it was reasonable after 2000, it's not that bad now, is it?

Tang Wen sensed that the other person hadn't finished speaking, so he deliberately spoke up:

“Geigin takes information security very seriously and can transmit data generated in the United States to Prism.”

"No, no, what I mean is that Geigin can set up a branch and server cluster here, just like in Silicon Valley. You can buy the best servers, enjoy the most convenient network, and process global data directly."

Eamon was relatively tactful, but the mysterious figure from the Prism Building who followed him was much more direct:
“BBS operations in the Empire must open root servers and cooperate with Prism’s global cybersecurity strategy and actions. We understand that the University of Tokyo is drafting a new cyber bill, some of the ideas of which are not in line with the implementation of the global strategy.”

Unlike the abyss of the real estate industry, the domestic internet is still relatively new, so Tang Wen took advantage of the StoneCube hacking incident to write an extremely long proposal, directly incorporating more mature and comprehensive legislation from later generations.

Zhao Hande initially thought that since the internet wasn't very developed, there was no need to go through with it. Then Tang Wen took him to the back office of Gaijin Network:
Every day, tens of thousands of IP addresses from public institutions go online to smuggle things, and a certain mainland research institute was quickly identified through simple tracking methods.

Afterwards, Tang Wen demonstrated his old-fashioned fishing technique in person. By pretending to be a sweet girl, he managed to trick her into revealing that she was from a unit under the Aerospace Academy. Then, the other party tried his best to explain to the "sweet girl" how high-end his project was and even revealed that it was used in rockets.

After that, Song Nan also demonstrated in person how to hack into the research institute without any effort and intercept fax machine information.

Zhao Hande flew back to the capital with a livid face. An internal investigation eventually identified the culprit as the head of the technical department at that research institute, who was involved in the technical verification of the new large fairing for the Long March 2F rocket—serving the ongoing manned space program. Consequently, the cybersecurity proposal was quickly brought up again in the wake of the StoneCube incident, then directly passed a vote and entered the implementation phase, officially taking effect on January 1, 1998, with the simultaneous establishment of the National Cybersecurity Technology Office.

Before the Information Office had officially determined its office location, it approached Gaijin to develop an official anti-leakage system. In the end, it decided to improve upon "Silver Shield" and named it the "Sword and Shield" system.

Unlike the Silver Shield, which was being marketed, the management center immediately demanded that all key units across the country be equipped with the "Sword and Shield" by 98, and then rushed to various parts of the country to promote the confidentiality regulations.

The proposal and cybersecurity were publicly established, so they quickly came to the attention of Prism Building. At first, they thought it was a bit complicated and lengthy, but after careful study, they found that the regulations took into account almost all the existing network leaks and crimes, making it several versions ahead of its global counterparts.

Especially since the United States has experienced numerous hacking incidents since the 90s, including those at Prism Tower and NASA, no one understands the dangers of hackers—and the ease of information theft—better than the Empire.

If the "Sword and Shield" and cybersecurity measures are truly implemented, they will not only be strict internally but also impose detailed regulations on foreign internet companies, which will undoubtedly be very detrimental to their online information channels.

As the largest social networking service provider in China, and having just acquired StoneCube, Gaijin can be said to be the social center of the whole country, except for the internal forums of various campuses.

In the IAA's internal profile of Tang Wen, his characteristics are described as sudden wealth, a middleman, a figurine enthusiast, highly innovative, and... pro-Western.

Tang Wen still retains the bold style of later generations, and he does not distinguish between internal and external affairs. This is completely opposite to the current domestic stereotypes, and from the outside world, it is seen as "Western thinking".

So, is it possible to find a breakthrough by focusing on Gaijin?
Controlling the country's largest social media company is tantamount to controlling the domestic internet.

As for the feud between DaWang BBS and US Online, they considered it a minor matter; a certain amount of suppression would actually make it easier for Tang Wen to back down.

"Tang, the internet is breeding crime, and the Empire has to devote a lot of energy to preventing public facilities from being damaged by hackers. The cooperation of Gekin Network can greatly help to eliminate these problems. Of course, you will also gain a lot of benefits, including orders from Prism Building. Of course, this requires deeper cooperation."

Jones maintained a facade of friendliness, attempting to influence Tang Wen with his words.

Eamon and the people at Prism Tower were different; they seemed to be giving him a forced smile, as if they would arrest him immediately if he refused.

But the latter agreed almost immediately:
“I fully understand all of this. It’s just a bunch of data. As long as it’s within my capabilities, everything is negotiable.”

Tang Wen showed no sign of rejection or dissatisfaction; instead, he warmly grasped Jones's hand, a change that caught everyone else off guard.

Jones breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought the young man might be somewhat rebellious, but it turned out that Tang Wen was exactly as they had guessed—a pure-hearted rich kid with absolutely no convictions. He quickly grasped Tang Wen's hand:
"Welcome to contribute more to the world of Ziyou, you truly live up to your reputation as a Chinese."

However, after "pledging his loyalty," Tang Wen put on a worried and gloomy expression:

"It's just that I might not be able to provide much valuable data in the US, and it seems that my colleagues here don't welcome me."

Having just swung the big stick, Eamon felt it was time to give them a little treat, and immediately said:

“AOL’s actions are outrageous. They actually bribed one of our unofficial employees to do such a thing. We will pressure the Virginia authorities to investigate thoroughly and support you in filing a lawsuit!”

Tang Wen nodded first, then continued to shrug:
"But by the time we win the lawsuit, DaWang BBS will probably be out of the US. I was almost beaten to death a few months ago, and now I'm about to be arrested. If I can't even guarantee my own safety, I'm afraid I'll..."

Now the group was in a dilemma. Tang Wen was only willing to provide the data because of the benefits. Brainwashing and "sucking oil" alone could not control a billionaire. Even if he was just a front man, they had to pay a price to win him over.

Jones hesitated for a moment, then simply asked Tang Wen:

What do you think would be more appropriate?

"First, they need to reveal the truth of the matter and apologize to me, and then... we have our own way of resolving this—Chinese-style iaido."

Jones was still undecided. Although he didn't understand what Chinese Iaijutsu was, he could imagine it was some kind of revenge.

But at that moment, Tang Wen added:
"If any FIB agent can easily subdue me, it also means that in the future, BBS and Twitter's US branches could be easily breached and their data seized. I wonder if that will..."

"The IAA will support you, whether it's litigation or... iamage!"

Jones and Eamon were getting restless. Now that Tang Wen was an IAA agent, if this incident didn't end, the FIB would be able to boss him around. What kind of situation would that be?

Moreover, in theory, the FIB is responsible for domestic data while the IAA monitors global data. Jones's request for Geigin to hand over domestic data is an overreach of authority and suggests an intention to monitor the FIB. If this is leaked, it will cause trouble.

……

Not long after they left, Zhao Hande called.

The latter had also arrived in the US a few days earlier, but had been stuck in Peanut Village and couldn't find the time. Upon discovering Tang Wen was in trouble, he immediately contacted him.
"This matter is probably difficult to resolve. You should go to the nearest consulate as soon as possible, and someone will help arrange a plane to send you back to China immediately."

"No, it was just a minor issue, and it's already resolved."

Tang Wen's tone was unremarkable, so Zhao Hande didn't press the matter further, instead trying to probe indirectly:

"The people from BMW are here with me too. Why don't you come over the day after tomorrow to have a talk?"

"Yes, of course."

After agreeing to the meeting, Tang Wencai hung up the phone, went into the bathroom with the ship girl, and then appeared on a small island in the South Pacific. Finally, he no longer felt stifled.

Although Jones didn't say it explicitly, this was essentially a precursor to the Prism scandal, forcing Geigin to take sides.

While Gaikin may not be considered a top player in the domestic financial and industry scale, his demonstrated capabilities and connections are quite extraordinary. In addition, his efforts to obtain aircraft and technology from McDonnell Douglas involve many sensitive areas, so it would be strange if the Empire didn't keep an eye on him.

Jean Bart walked behind him and gently massaged his shoulders. She could clearly sense that Tang Wen was very angry, more so than ever before.

"Commander, send a batch of U-boats to launch a major air raid on their homeland."

"No, no need."

Tang Wen closed his eyes, enjoying the pressure on his shoulders, and after a long while, he said:

"Soon there will be a counterattack a thousand times more intense than this. I didn't originally plan for it to happen so quickly, but this time they pressed the accelerator button on their own initiative."

(End of this chapter)