Admittedly stating the obvious here, but the biggest problem with these internet users is most likely the anonymity afforded them by the internet. Yes, the majority can probably be tracked down via their IP addresses etc. etc. But I would be interested to know how many non-government parties are capable of tracking them down, especially without breaking – or bending – any laws? And whether the Chinese government would be willing to do so every time an official or public figure was slandered? Highly unlikely. That many of these accusations may be true is irrelevant.

The point I’m trying to make is simple and presumably applies to most countries around the world: It’s very easy to slander an individual or an organisation on the internet. Anonymously. With the right approach – especially in countries such as Japan or China – you can create hype online and perhaps even get a story in one of the national newspapers. In effect, you can manipulate public opinion. Create doubt, raise suspicions. And in a nation as volatile as China certainly appears to be, for example with regards to Japan and the Japanese in spite of the vast contributions they have made to China’s development for several decades now, the consequences can be devastating: riots in the streets, businesses vandalised, innocent civilians targeted, assaulted.

If a professional journalist were to publish groundless accusations, at the very least they would be reprimanded by their employer. Even with a freelance journalist this might affect their reputation and thus future employment prospects. But with “citizen journalists”, there are unlikely to be any consequences whatsoever for their actions (provided they aren’t foolish enough to slander the Party or reveal their own identity).

One might argue about freedom of speech and so on and so forth, but it’s dubious as to whether China operates in quite the same way as the US or most other developed nations. Especially where slander/libel is concerned. I do not mean to insult the Chinese people or their legal and education systems, but it is also presumably true that the average citizen is less educated and more susceptible to slander campaigns and propaganda. Especially as these can also be – and some have undoubtedly been – state-orchestrated. The foolish belief that everyone is acting for the greater good, that all individuals portrayed as villians in the media must be precisely that, the absence of the common sense to take every story with a grain of salt, is what concerns me most. And this most definitely applies to more than just China.

I’m afraid I don’t know the correlation between education and internet access/usage in China, but presumably anyone in a major city is able to access the internet through internet cafes. Regardless of whether the victim/perpetrator is innocent or guilty, the damage to their reputation will have been done by the time the truth comes out. If it ever does. The further the story spreads the greater coverage it receives, and the greater the havoc it wreaks. It comes down to whether the public believe everything they read, or even care whether what they are reading is true.

These “human flesh search engine[s]” are also concerning. One might argue that the function they serve is little different to that of a private detective, except that, again, they cannot be easily caught or reprimanded for their actions. One might even go so far as to say that they have nothing to lose. I certainly do not want to be on the receiving end of one of those, I tell you.