Social media machine earns operator $1,800 a month

The VND1 billion ($41,190) PhoneFarm is commonly used within communities that generate interactions on social media services such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. They are built out of 20-22 smartphone circuit boards connected to a motherboard.
Pictured above is one such PhoneFarm built by 24-year-old Nguyen Duc Hung in the northern province of Quang Ninh. He has been successfully using it to generate social media interactions

Hung said he was aware that using the device is considered fraud per the standards of social media services.
"In reality. I'm doing the work that social media platforms do not allow. However, there is high demand on the market and the [Vietnamese] law has not banned this yet," he said.

He said he started to build the system in October 2022, and it took him eight months to complete it. Instead of hiring services or purchasing a box made by someone else, Hung bought components and developed software for the device himself to ensure quality control.

Hung’s PhoneFarm is equipped with 22 circuit boards from Samsung Galaxy S7 phones. The boards are connected to the motherboard through USB-A and USB-C cables.

The cost of such homemade boxes is around VND14 million ($573.71), dozens of millions of dong cheaper than buying from a third party. An entire PhoneFarm like Hung’s costs over VND500 million, not including servers, operating computers, Internet systems and other infrastructure.

Everything is controlled by a main computer with two monitors. The first monitor is for tracking the status of active phones, while the second one is for monitoring connections and problem resolution. Heat is dissipated through air conditioners and fans inside the room.

The PhoneFarm system is used to increase interactions on social media, including views, likes and comments. Hung said the cost of operating the room is VND25 million a month, most of which is spent on power and Internet connections.
"My monthly income from the system is around VND40-45 million ($1,650-1,850)," he added.
Similar services for generating interactions are restricted by platforms like Facebook for violating community standards. YouTube and TikTok also ban using bots to increase the number of views and comments. But the issue persists as software is continually updated to evade detection.