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In China, These Detectives Aren't for Hire

Millions of vigilantes rile Beijing by solving mysteries online

By Laurel Jorgensen,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 23, 2008 6:28 PM CST
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(Newser) – If you do a bad thing in China, just hope it doesn't go online. The nation's so-called "human flesh engine"—millions of web-surfers who like hunting for facts—have already gotten a Communist Party secretary fired and identified a woman who stomped a cat to death. Despite an army of cybercops and pricey filtering software, the Communists have been unable to corral these online detectives, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Sometimes their work benefits Beijing, like when they connected survivors to relatives after the Sichuan earthquake. But their mob mentality scares some. Last year, the detectives publicly revealed details of a man's personal life after his wife committed suicide, inspiring picket lines and death threats against him. He wants to sue, but “we don’t know who they are,” his lawyer said.

Chinese youths use computers at an Internet cafe in Beijing in this June 18, 2005 file photo.
Chinese youths use computers at an Internet cafe in Beijing in this June 18, 2005 file photo.   (AP Photo/Greg Baker, File)
Online detectives use databases, photo analysis, search engines and social networking sites to unravel mysteries.
Online detectives use databases, photo analysis, search engines and social networking sites to unravel mysteries.   (ShutterStock)
In this July 19, 2008 file photo, a customer looks at a computer in Beijing's newly-opened Apple computer store.
In this July 19, 2008 file photo, a customer looks at a computer in Beijing's newly-opened Apple computer store.   (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)
In this March 6, 2008 file photo, people surf the web at an Internet cafe in Shenyang in northeast China's Liaoning province.
In this March 6, 2008 file photo, people surf the web at an Internet cafe in Shenyang in northeast China's Liaoning province.   (AP Photo/File)
A computer user is silhouetted with a row of computer monitors at an Internet cafe in Shenyang, northern China's Liaoning province in this Jan. 23, 2008 file photo.
A computer user is silhouetted with a row of computer monitors at an Internet cafe in Shenyang, northern China's Liaoning province in this Jan. 23, 2008 file photo.   (AP Photo/File)
The cybercops are very hard to control, a prominent Chinese blogger says. You can censor cases, but it's hard to find a single person responsible and it's so quick.
The cybercops are "very hard to control," a prominent Chinese blogger says. "You can censor cases, but it's hard to find a single person responsible and it's so quick."   (ShutterStock)
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With that kind of speed and manpower, sooner or later someone gets lucky.
- Liang Shuxin, deputy editor of the online Tianya forum, on why the 'human flesh search engine' works

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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
Guest
Nov 24, 2008 3:48 AM CST
Viva... la... internet?
Guest
Nov 23, 2008 10:23 PM CST
The mob takes over.

China surpasses US in Internet users
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