Episode
01 December 2018 Official episode · Official transcript
research investigative
Jack Rhysider investigates manipulation of Apple podcast rankings through coordinated subscriptions and downloads using many Apple IDs, tracing the promotion network to Bangladesh and comparing it with manipulation of bestseller and review rankings.
Topics: Manipulation of podcast ranking algorithms, Artificial subscriptions using multiple Apple IDs, Automated or repeated episode downloads, Platform terms-of-service enforcement, Black hat marketing, Detection of anomalous ranking and sales patterns, Manipulation of bestseller and review rankings, Fake reviews and purchased upvotes
Links published on the Darknet Diaries episode page. Not LLM output.
No Sources heading on this episode page.
Qualified statements from this episode, not graph facts.
Apple Podcast SAME_AS iTunes
Jack identifies Apple Podcast as also known as iTunes and later treats the Apple Podcast app and iTunes as the same service.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 27 Details
“Over half my listeners listen to me on Apple Podcast, or otherwise known as iTunes”
“the Apple Podcast app, or iTunes”
Podcast chart manipulation AFFECTS Apple Podcast
The episode characterizes podcast chart manipulation or algorithm hacking as a way to corrupt or alter the Apple Podcast charts.
Explicit Confidence 97% · Jack Rhysider EP 27 Details
“This is chart manipulation or algorithm hacking or something else.”
“These shows are doing something to break the charts, to corrupt it.”
Rakibul says his promotion method involves subscribing with Apple IDs.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Rakibul EP 27 Details
“Sir, I subscribe the Apple ID on iTunes.”
Rakibul says he performs the promotion through iTunes.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Rakibul EP 27 Details
“I subscribe the Apple ID on iTunes.”
Rakibul USES Artificial subscription and download activity
In the context of paid podcast promotion, Rakibul describes subscribing with Apple IDs; Jack presents this as the activity used to manipulate rankings.
Derived Confidence 88% · Rakibul EP 27 Details
“Sir, I subscribe the Apple ID on iTunes.”
“I started seeing some patterns.”
Sho Hag USES Artificial subscription and download activity
Sho Hag claims that his worldwide team promotes podcasts by subscribing, downloading, and listening.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Sho Hag EP 27 Details
“My worldwide [00:15:00] team, they subscribe, download, and listens.”
The unnamed promoter says he uses ten thousand Apple IDs for podcast promotion.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Promoter EP 27 Details
“Yeah, I have ten thousand Apple ID, I have.”
The unnamed promoter describes carrying out the promotion in iTunes by signing in, subscribing, and downloading episodes.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Jack Rhysider EP 27 Details
“Click connect, sign in with an Apple ID, go to the podcast URL, subscribe”
“Clicking Get on all the episodes queues up all the downloads at once”
Promoter USES Artificial subscription and download activity
The promoter explains a repeated subscribe-and-download process using many accounts to increase a podcast's chart ranking.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 27 Details
“Then stop the downloads, log out, and log in with a new Apple ID and do it again.”
“Fifty, sixty. Yeah. Sometimes thirty, forty.”
Podcast promoters offer their promotion services through Fiverr accounts.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Jack Rhysider EP 27 Details
“They all pointed me to their Fiverr accounts.”
“if you go on Fiverr and you search for podcast iTunes top rank, you’ll see dozens of people offering podcast promotion on iTunes.”
Jison ASSOCIATED_WITH MD Monowar
Jison says that he learned podcast promotion from MD Monowar, whom he describes as his former boss and a leading promoter.
Explicit Confidence 97% · Jison EP 27 Details
“Sir, in the past I learned from my boss.”
“His name is MD Monowar, sir.”
“everyone who learned about podcast promotion learned it from him”
ResultSource ASSOCIATED_WITH New York Times Bestseller List
The episode says ResultSource has historically been accused of gaming the New York Times Bestseller List and appears to have obtained placements by organizing book purchases.
Uncertain Confidence 94% · Jack Rhysider EP 27 Details
“clues led to a book marketing company called ResultSource”
“They have historically been accused of gaming the New York Times Bestseller List.”
“It appears this marketing company has figured out the algorithm”
Seth Godin AUTHORED This is Marketing
Jack says Seth Godin has a new book titled This is Marketing.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 27 Details
“Seth has a new book out. It’s called This is Marketing”
Works mentioned in the transcript. Distinct from show-note sources.
Model gpt-5.6-luna · prompt 1.5.19 · schema 1.5.19 · 2026-09-13T05:25:21.671083+00:00