What exposé? Xiaxue thanks SMRT Ltd (Feedback) for growing up

Once again, let me start with an apology.

A reader named Steven e-mailed me to complain about my column about Xiaxue last week.



He wrote:

“This woman Xiaxue has no brains and no skills and adds no economic value. Just a bloody waste of time listening to her. I don't know why the mainstream media even bother to give her publicity.”

I’m apologising because I’m going to give Xiaxue a little more publicity this week — although today’s column is more about SMRT Ltd (Feedback).

Not affiliated with the real SMRT Corporation at all, the online entity known as SMRT Ltd (Feedback) was started as a joke to make fun of the spate of MRT breakdowns in December 2011, which were so bad a public inquiry was held.

More than three years later, SMRT CEO Saw Phaik Hwa is gone, but SMRT Ltd (Feedback) is still around to troll unsuspecting commuters who write in to complain about SMRT train and bus services.



But nowadays, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) is too famous (or infamous) for this to happen much any more. Blame Mr Jover Chew.

As you may recall, in November, a Vietnamese tourist was humiliated in Mr Chew’s mobile phone shop in Sim Lim Square.

SMRT Ltd (Feedback) published Mr Chew’s address and phone number online, which led to Mr Chew and his wife being harassed.

Some lauded SMRT Ltd (Feedback) for giving the vilified phone salesman what he deserved. Others decried the online vigilantism.

By then, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) had transcended its original prankster mission and found a higher calling as the social media equivalent of Charles Bronson from Death Wish.



After dispensing with Mr Chew, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) needed a new target and eventually set its sights on a company called Data Register.

What is Data Register and what did it do to earn SMRT Ltd (Feedback)’s wrath?

That’s a bit complicated and boring.

What Data Register does is send out letters to businesses asking them to verify information on its database. And if they did, Data Register would send them a bill.

Last year, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) filed 104 charges against Data Register for failing to display the company name and registration number in its correspondences. Acra also issued a few public alerts on the company.

But some felt the authorities weren’t doing enough.

So on Dec 18, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) announced on Facebook:

“We are going to embark on the next ops against Data Register Pte Ltd.”

But alas, the “ops” didn't happen. Why? Because a more... uh... attractive target emerged.

On Dec 23, blogger Xiaxue (real name Wendy Cheng) published an “exposé” on a company called Gushcloud, a competitor of Nuffnang, which is the company Xiaxue is with.



It quickly became the talk of the local blogosphere. Even I wrote about her, prompting Steven's e-mail.

On Dec 27, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) made another Facebook announcement:

“Ok Xiaxue is bloody annoying acting all innocent and shit. 10,000 likes to this post and we'll do a ‘Xiaxue Expose’ to wrap up 2014.”

The post got more than 30,000 likes.

After much build-up, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) published its statistics-filled “Xiaxue & Nuffnang Exposé (Part I)” on New Year’s eve.

But it wasn’t what fans expected. One commented: “That’s it? Your big expose is that Xiaxue is brilliant at picking timed fights and bad at accounting?”

To its disappointed fans, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) responded:

“If you guys were expecting the expose to be Xiaxue’s address, phone number, her husband company boss contact etc. her personal life, email records — don’t bother.

Yes we have them all. But we don’t roll that way now. It's 2015. Let's grow up.”

Gasp! Has SMRT Ltd (Feedback) mellowed with age?

Did the criticisms about vigilantism get to the pranksters?

Or is it the Protection from Harassment Act passed in Parliament last year?

Or have they realised that with great power comes great responsibility?



Is that why they held back with Xiaxue? Sure, many people can’t stand her, like my reader Steven. But Xiaxue is no Jover Chew.

In her otherwise dismissive rebuttal to SMRT Ltd (Feedback)’s so-called exposé, even Xiaxue thanked SMRT Ltd (Feedback) for its restraint in her own catty way:

“Thank you, Pussies, for not going so low. My family and friends are innocent and should not be involved. Good Pussies.”

You know who else should be thankful? The folks at Data Register.

They seemed to have dodged a bullet.

For now.

Will there be a part two?

The sequels to Death Wish were terrible.

- Published in The New Paper, 4 January 2015

@sm0ng is the first columnist from The New Paper that actually made sense about us.
— SMRT Feedback (@smrtsg) January 5, 2015

EARLIER:

'Cheeky fella': PM Lee finds out about SMRT Ltd (Feedback)

SMRT Ltd (Feedback): From troll to online vigilante to just another blogger?

How Xiaxue made Roy Ngerng look good


UPDATE: Xiaxue's Protection Order Against SMRT Ltd (Feedback)

'Cheeky fella': PM Lee finds out about SMRT Ltd (Feedback)

Imagine you’re the Prime Minister of Singapore.

Here you are, minding your own business, giving your New Year message and welcoming 2015 at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park wearing a balloon hat.

Then you find out you have been called out in a blog by SMRT Ltd (Feedback) in a post entitled “The Xiaxue & Nuffnang Exposé (Part I)”.

Wait, what?

“What did SMRT say about me? Call Desmond Kuek, CEO of SMRT, and tell him I demand an explanation! Is there a part two to this exposé?”

Mr Kuek hurries to the Prime Minister’s office.

You show him the blog.

“Oh, that’s not ours,” he says.

“I’m told it’s by SMRT Ltd (Feedback),” you say.

“Uh… yes. It’s a spoof site. They’re just using our name, but it’s not us,” he says.

You can’t believe what you’re hearing. “And you let them get away with it? How long have this been going on?”

“Just over three years. Since The Great MRT Breakdown of December 2011.”

“So long?”

“To be fair,” he says, “I have been CEO only since October 2012. You should talk to Saw Phaik Hwa. She was CEO then. I have her number. You want me to call her for you?”

You give Mr Kuek a look.

“Tell me more about this SMRT Ltd (Feedback),” you request calmly.

“Sure, have you been to Sim Lim Square?” he asks.

You give him another look.

“Anyway,” he continues, “in November, there was this big hoo-ha over this Vietnamese tourist reduced to tears at this Sim Lim Square shop called Mobile Air. The guy who ran the shop is this fella called Jover Chew.”



“Yah, I remember him. Did his parents actually name him Jover?” you ask.

“I can check," he says. “Anyway, a lot of people hated him. So SMRT Ltd (Feedback) published his phone number and address. He and his wife ended up getting harassed, and SMRT Ltd (Feedback) became famous. People called them vigilantes.”

You interrupt: “You mean like Charles Bronson in Death Wish?”



Mr Kuek gives you a blur look.

“Never mind,” you say. “Continue.”

He continues: “After the Sim Lim saga, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) was going to target a company called Data Register.”

“What’s that?” you ask.

“It’s a bit complicated,” he says. “Last year, ACRA brought charges against Data Register for failing to display the company name and registration number in its correspondences with other companies.

“But it doesn’t matter because, in the end, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) didn’t do anything to Data Register.”

“Why?” you ask.

“Because of Xiaxue,” he says.

“Xiaxue?”

“You know, the blogger? She’s with this company called Nuffnang. She’s a PAP supporter.”

You sigh. “We get all kinds.”



“Anyway,” he continues, “Xiaxue published this exposé about Gushcloud, which is Nuffnang’s competitor. So SMRT Ltd (Feedback) decided to do an exposé on Xiaxue and Nuffnang just because they find her annoying.”

“But how did I get dragged into this?” you ask. “I have nothing to do with these people.”

Mr Kuek explains: “In the exposé, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) published the number of inactive and suspicious or empty accounts that Xiaxue’s Twitter followers have and as a comparison, they also highlighted your numbers. She has 68 per cent ‘good’ followers while you have 46 per cent.”





“And they called me a ‘cheeky fella’! What do they mean by that?” you ask.

“They’re sort of implying that you bought fake followers, but I think it’s meant tongue-in-cheek, if you’ll pardon the pun.”

“What pun?” you ask.

“Never mind,” he says. “Anyway, as Xiaxue pointed out, you’re the leader of our country, both a Cambridge and Harvard graduate, with countless achievements under your belt. Who would be so stupid as to believe that you buy Twitter followers?”

“Then where do all these fake followers come from?” you ask.

“They’re like spam” he says. “Everybody gets them. Even Barack Obama. It's really no big deal.”



You think about it.

“So what are you going to do about these SMRT Ltd (Feedback) jokers? You're going to let them keep using your name?” you ask the SMRT CEO.

“We’re working on it,” he says.

“Yah, like how you’re working on preventing train delays. Happy new year, Desmond,” you say as you dismisses him.



“Happy new year, Prime Minister,” he says and leaves.

You quickly check your Twitter.

- Unpublished


EARLIER: SMRT Ltd (Feedback): From troll to online vigilante to just another blogger?

SMRT Ltd (Feedback): From troll to online vigilante to just another blogger?

In November, online spoofers SMRT Ltd (Feedback), who have been around since December 2011, finally broke into the mainstream with the Sim Lim Square-Mobile Air-Jover Chew saga.

SMRT Ltd (Feedback) were mentioned several times by The Straits Times:

Nov 5: Netizens expose details of Sim Lim Square mobile shop owner who bullied Vietnamese tourist

Nov 10: Online vigilante group in Sim Lim saga says its Paypal account was suspended

Nov 11: Man files police report after fake web article claims he was arrested for online vigilantism

Nov 22: Even Jover Chew deserves due process of law

Yahoo noted SMRT Ltd (Feedback)'s transformation "from troll group To Internet vigilantes".



Feeling empowered after the Sim Lim saga, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) looked around to see who else to unleash its special brand of online Charles Bronson-type justice on and settled on Data Register Pte Ltd.

That was on Dec 18.

Then on Dec 23, Xiaxue happened and no one cared about Data Register anymore.

So SMRT Ltd (Feedback) swung their gun turret around and set their sights on a new target.

Post by SMRT Ltd (Feedback).

Online gawkers got their popcorn ready.

Jover Chew-slayer SMRT Ltd (Feedback) versus Tyre Queen Xiaxue - what fight fan wouldn't salivate at the prospect?

So after much build-up, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) finally released their Xiaxue & Nuffnang Exposé (Part I) yesterday.

It's long and filled with charts and graphs, not unlike XX's Gushcloud expose and Gushcloud's "official response" to XX.

It also repeats some analysis on another blog regarding trade receivable and trade payable. Who knew SMRT Ltd (Feedback) were such accounting nerds?

As someone commented: "This is an... exposé? Even my shrivelled orange was juicier."

SMRT Ltd (Feedback)'s retort to their disappointed followers:

"If you guys were expecting the expose to be Xiaxue's address, phone number, her husband company boss contact etc. her personal life, email records - don't bother.

"Yes we have them all. But we don't roll that way now. It's 2015. Let's grow up."

Even XX acknowledged this chivalry in her just-as-long charts-and-graphs-filled response to SMRT Ltd (Feedback)'s response to her exposé:

"I give credit when it's due: Thank you, Pussies, for not going so low. My family and friends are innocent and should not be involved. Good Pussies."

But she still called them vaginas. Or is it cats? Anyway, "pussies" is definitely an insult.

Post by SMRT Ltd (Feedback).

Less than five hours later, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) responded to her response to their response to her exposé with more charts and graphs. This could go on.

It's very unlike SMRT Ltd (Feedback) to bring themselves down to XX's level and fight her on her terms, ie all those charts and graphs. One would've expected something more subversive from a group who named themselves after a real-life public transport corporation as a joke and kept that name after the joke has been forgotten.

But is SMRT Ltd (Feedback) justified in targeting XX in the first place?

Sure, she is "bloody annoying acting all innocent and shit", but she's no Jover Chew.

But then SMRT Ltd (Feedback) also appear to be pulling their punches with XX. It's no longer online vigilantism - it's just another blogger analysing the XX-Gushcloud saga, which quite a few bloggers have already done.

If not for the AirAsia disaster, the saga would probably get more coverage in the mainstream press, but for now, the SMRT Ltd (Feedback)-XX bloodless feud remains confined in the back alleys of cyberspace.



The folks at Gushcloud must be grateful to SMRT Ltd (Feedback) for doing their fighting for them. And Data Register Pte Ltd seemed to have dodged a bullet.

Meanwhile, we await SMRT Ltd (Feedback)'s Xiaxue & Nuffnang Exposé (Part II).

As SMRT Ltd (Feedback) admitted: "At the end of the day, this isn’t a battle of numbers or ethics. It’s who has a bigger ego."


EARLIER: How Xiaxue made Roy Ngerng look good

UPDATE: 'Cheeky fella': PM Lee finds out about SMRT Ltd (Feedback)