Mobile Company Filling Toilet Water (Rumor)
The incident of the 'mobile company filling toilet water' was a rumor spread by a security guard and not true. Here are the details:
Initial Exposure of the Incident
On March 20, 2020, a security guard at a China Mobile outlet in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, exposed on the internet that the outlet was engaging in the despicable act of filling toilet water into bottled water for customers to drink. According to his description, these filled bottled waters not only showed abnormal phenomena such as turning green and smelling bad, but also caused some children to experience symptoms like diarrhea after drinking them. This news spread rapidly on the internet, attracting widespread public attention and strong indignation. People condemned the behavior of the China Mobile outlet and also raised concerns about the safety of drinking water.
Turnaround of the Incident
However, on March 22, there was a major turnaround. The security guard changed his statement during an interview with reporters and admitted that the content of the video he had previously posted was untrue. He said that he had posted those false pieces of information due to emotional issues and posted a video on his own account, clearly admitting that his previous claim about the outlet providing customers with toilet water was incorrect due to emotional influence. After verification, the claim about using tap water to fill the bottles was also wrong, which means he admitted to spreading rumors.
Official Investigation Results
China Mobile quickly launched an investigation after the incident and issued an investigation announcement. The announcement clearly stated that the claims made by the informant were completely unfounded. After a detailed investigation, it was found that the source of the bottled water was normal, and there was no situation of filling with toilet water as described by the security guard. Meanwhile, due to the negative impact and damage to the reputation of the China Mobile outlet caused by the rumor-spreading behavior of the security guard involved, he would face accountability. From a legal perspective, such behavior of deliberately fabricating and disseminating false facts to damage the reputation of others can be regarded as defamation.
