'Human flesh search engine' - Privacy violation and Internet lynching
Sunday, September 27, 2009 by Wu Hao
'Human flesh search engine' is a way netizens gain information which they cannot simply get from conventional online search engines. It is the idea of a ‘search engine’ employing thousands of individuals through Internet and these individuals are all mobilized with one aim, to dig out facts or answer.
“Human flesh search engine”was first started in 2001 for online users to track down film, music, novels or other resource. However, in 2006, it triggered the debate during a online incident “The MOP Cat Abuse”. A video which presented a kitten had cruelly trampled to death by a woman with her high-heel shoes was posted on one of the most popular Chinese online community MOP. The netizens was enraged by these photos and soon started to condemn the women’s behavior. What make this incident unique is the voluntary investigate done by netizens, in other words, the use of 'human flesh search engine'. The background of the video was analyzed, and netizens soon located the place as in a northeast county. A few days later the women’s personal information including name, age, address, mobile number, QQ account (Similar to MSN), employment was completely exposed online in the same community. Under the public pressure in real life, the woman was finally forced to publicly apologize and amerced for two month salary.
(http://news.sohu.com/s2006/nvzinuemao/ You can see some pictures in video here, sorry I cannot find English website)
Similar incidents are repeated. Last year, a young person was also exposed by the 'human flesh search engine' since her posed unseemly words (Translation:“Come on, how many of you died? Just a few, right? There are so many people in China anyway.”) during the Chinese national mourning period for the 80,000 victims of the earthquake.
Because extreme cases like these two, BBC used to described “Human flesh search engine” as online “witch hunt”, American media also name it as“Chinese style man hunt”. Although such descriptions are not accurate, I agree with the idea that the “Human flesh search engine”was misused. These is no doubt both victims in these cases were morally blameful and actually publicize their ideas to the public online community, yet their posted these ideas anonymously and the rights on anonymity were one of the central working bases of most online community. Also the result of exposing their personal information is impossible to estimate or restrict, these information could also be used to against or endanger them for any purposes and any time. It is fair to say, in these extreme cases “Human flesh search engine” has became a tool of Internet lynching, the damage is difficult to manager or control.
“Human flesh search engine”was first started in 2001 for online users to track down film, music, novels or other resource. However, in 2006, it triggered the debate during a online incident “The MOP Cat Abuse”. A video which presented a kitten had cruelly trampled to death by a woman with her high-heel shoes was posted on one of the most popular Chinese online community MOP. The netizens was enraged by these photos and soon started to condemn the women’s behavior. What make this incident unique is the voluntary investigate done by netizens, in other words, the use of 'human flesh search engine'. The background of the video was analyzed, and netizens soon located the place as in a northeast county. A few days later the women’s personal information including name, age, address, mobile number, QQ account (Similar to MSN), employment was completely exposed online in the same community. Under the public pressure in real life, the woman was finally forced to publicly apologize and amerced for two month salary.
(http://news.sohu.com/s2006/nvzinuemao/ You can see some pictures in video here, sorry I cannot find English website)
Similar incidents are repeated. Last year, a young person was also exposed by the 'human flesh search engine' since her posed unseemly words (Translation:“Come on, how many of you died? Just a few, right? There are so many people in China anyway.”) during the Chinese national mourning period for the 80,000 victims of the earthquake.
Because extreme cases like these two, BBC used to described “Human flesh search engine” as online “witch hunt”, American media also name it as“Chinese style man hunt”. Although such descriptions are not accurate, I agree with the idea that the “Human flesh search engine”was misused. These is no doubt both victims in these cases were morally blameful and actually publicize their ideas to the public online community, yet their posted these ideas anonymously and the rights on anonymity were one of the central working bases of most online community. Also the result of exposing their personal information is impossible to estimate or restrict, these information could also be used to against or endanger them for any purposes and any time. It is fair to say, in these extreme cases “Human flesh search engine” has became a tool of Internet lynching, the damage is difficult to manager or control.