Dangers of internet use in some countries

bulldogg

Milforum's Bouncer
SHANGHAI, June 2 — It began with an impassioned, 5,000-word letter on one of the country's most popular Internet bulletin boards from a husband denouncing a college student he suspected of having an affair with his wife. Immediately, hundreds joined in the attack.

"Let's use our keyboard and mouse in our hands as weapons," one person wrote, "to chop off the heads of these adulterers, to pay for the sacrifice of the husband."

Within days, the hundreds had grown to thousands, and then tens of thousands, with total strangers forming teams that hunted down the student, hounded him out of his university and caused his family to barricade themselves inside their home.
You are not safe from the e-world in the real world.

It was just the latest example of a growing phenomenon the Chinese call Internet hunting, in which morality lessons are administered by online throngs and where anonymous Web users come together to investigate others and mete out punishment for offenses real and imagined.
Not just morality lessons but political ones also are handled in this manner.

In recent instances, people have scrutinized husbands suspected of cheating on their wives, fraud on Internet auction sites, the secret lives of celebrities and unsolved crimes. One case that drew a huge following involved the poisoning of a Tsinghua University student, an event that dates to 1994 but was revived by curious strangers after word spread that the only suspect in the case had been questioned and released.

Even a recent scandal involving a top Chinese computer scientist dismissed for copying the design of an American processor came to light in part because of Internet hunting, with scores of online commentators raising questions about the project and putting pressure on the scientist's sponsors to look into the allegations.

While Internet wars can crop up anywhere, these cases have set off alarms in China, where this sort of crowd behavior has led to violence in the past. Many draw disturbing parallels to the Cultural Revolution, whose 40th anniversary is this year, when mobs of students taunted and beat their professors. Mass denunciations and show trials became the order of the day for a decade.

In recent years, the government has gradually tightened controls on the Internet, censoring popular search engines, like Google and Technorati; employing thousands of Web police officers; and requiring that customers at Internet cafes provide identification.

There has been recurrent talk by the government of registering all Internet users, and many worry that a wave of online threats and vigilantism could serve as a pretext to impose new limits on users.

The affair of the cuckolded husband first came to public attention in mid-April, after the man, who goes by the Web name Freezing Blade, discovered online correspondence between his wife, Quiet Moon, and a college student, Bronze Mustache. After an initial conversation, in which he forgave his wife, the man discovered messages on his wife's computer that confirmed to him that the liaison was continuing. He then posted the letter denouncing Bronze Mustache, and identifying him by his real name.
He did it all for the nookie, yeah the nookie.

The case exploded on April 20, when a bulletin board manifesto against Bronze Mustache was published by someone using the name Spring Azalea.

"We call on every company, every establishment, every office, school, hospital, shopping mall and public street to reject him," it said. "Don't accept him, don't admit him, don't identify with him until he makes a satisfying and convincing repentance."

Impassioned people teamed up to uncover the student's address and telephone number, both of which were then posted online. Soon, people eager to denounce him showed up at his university and at his parents' house, forcing him to drop out of school and barricade himself with his family in their home.

Others denounced the university for not expelling him, with one poster saying it should be "bombed by Iranian missiles." Many others said the student should be beaten or beheaded, or that he and the married woman should be put in a "pig cage" and drowned.
Such peaceful law abiding people these posters.

"Right from the beginning, every day there have been people calling and coming to our house, and we have all been very upset," said the student's father, who was interviewed by telephone but insisted that he not be identified by name, to avoid further harassment. "This is an awful thing, and the Internet companies should stop these attacks, but we haven't spoken with them. I wouldn't know whom to speak to."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/03/w...49dfa69d699f03&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

So what say you my fellow internet users? Is this a good thing or a bad thing. I am personally undecided at this point. The knuckle-dragging inner neanderthal of mine says these are twits getting their just desserts but the enlightened educated victim of political correctness says this is outrageous and uncivilised behaviour on the part of the e-vigilantes.
 
Hmm..A case can be made either way you look at it. If Americans were to sit down and turn their intelligence towards doing this where a true danger exists I can see it's usefulness. But when it comes to things of a personal nature (like the above mentioned article) I can see nothing but bad come from it.

I am far from being a computer guru but get someone that has resources and is not afraid to use them to the benefit of all and you will have a pretty effective "police ourselves" policy. Of course my idea of moral right and wrong and greater right and wrong may differ greatly from yours.
 
I really do hate China. I am never going to that place unless dragged while sedated.

No good can come of this. You really think random people on the internet interfering with someones private life is a good thing? It's bad enough just reading some of the crap on the internet.
 
I think the only crime here (other than the whole mobs of people trying to murder an entire family) are the names selected by the internet users, "Bronze Mustache," "Freezing Blade" and "Quiet Moon?" What would my Chinese internet name be? "White Boy," "Tall Man" or "Thick Rope?" I like the latter personally. ;)
 
Can we stick to the topic please.

I think that I can clearly see Marinerhodes vision of people using this for the greater good. I seriously doubt it would ever happen. I think this event reported on here that took place in China is the more likely scenario- a lynch mob. But I must also be honest in that if my wife was fooling around and I found out I would do worse than this guy did but I wouldnt involve a mob to get it done. I'm still divided between what I think is ideal (law and order) and what I really feel (vigilante justice). I believe both have their place in society because human beings and their systems are fallible.
 
Well we were all discussing ludicrous or odd or inhumane laws and I felt that belonged here. Am I wrong? We'll probably never know.
 
We're not talking about laws. Re-read the article Damien. The subject is vigilante justice meted out via the internet, with some overflow into the real world.
 
Phoenix and I were. And the whole vigilante justice, it happens everywhere, just look at that astronaut who drove to Florida from Houston to kidnap someone. But yeah, the laying siege to a family's home, bit excessive.
 
Can we stick to the topic please.

I think that I can clearly see Marinerhodes vision of people using this for the greater good. I seriously doubt it would ever happen. I think this event reported on here that took place in China is the more likely scenario- a lynch mob. But I must also be honest in that if my wife was fooling around and I found out I would do worse than this guy did but I wouldnt involve a mob to get it done. I'm still divided between what I think is ideal (law and order) and what I really feel (vigilante justice). I believe both have their place in society because human beings and their systems are fallible.

I agree totally. It would be great if it was only used to uphold the laws in place by man. But I too believe it would turn into vigilante justice. Just look to the history books of the Salem witch hunts about how a law and people's fear can turn into something nasty. It wouldn't take much to fabricate evidence either.
 
Nothing special,nothing new in china.
These days,youngs in china regard action of communists on Tiananmen was right.
They say,If communists didn't crash those rebels,yankee imperialists would rule china now・・・・・
Hey,who the hell in this world said that internet will spread democracy to the world.
 
Read the Thread People.................

You can be imprisoned and tortured in Iran for writing on a weblog and express yourself on the internet

Its The samething in libya,You know Phoenix80 im just geting sick of so many people being tortured, ext,ext,ext.Bulldog thanks for starting the Thread
 
Its The samething in libya,You know Phoenix80 im just geting sick of so many people being tortured, ext,ext,ext.Bulldog thanks for starting the Thread

Things are bad in parts of the world and a few people cant fathom that in other developed countries. It's sad.
 
Hey,who the hell in this world said that internet will spread democracy to the world.

You might be right Sandy,... but I hope that you are wrong.

I have great faith in "people". And over the years the Chinese people have shown that they are very resilient. Like the bamboo, they bend but do not break.

Plus I believe that if something is intrinsically "good" you can not keep it a secret for ever, someone will find out about it, and they will pass it onto others. It may take some time, but the truth will get out eventually.
 
Prison Interview with Internet Critic

The government arrested al-Mansuri, 52, on January 12, 2005, in his hometown of Tobruk. Over the previous year he had written some 50 articles and commentaries critical of Libyan society and government for a U.K.-based website, www.akhbar-libya.com. The website reported last week that he had fallen from his prison bed and broken his hip. http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/08/16/libya11634.htm
Internet use has recently exploded in Libya, in the absence of a free domestic media. Internet sites based outside of Libya provide an important forum for political debate, so al-Mansuri’s arrest is a setback for Internet freedom and the important debate on Libyan reform. Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division.
 
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I figured out・・・・・・・・these days chinese great firewall is becoming stronger and stronger.
Why?
American companies supported this great system?
Well,well,enormous from japan seems not to do anything in china.
Goverments don't want you to be smart,huh?
Hmmmmm・・・・China sounds a capitalist country of propaganda film made in USSR.
What a beautiful country.
 
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