BEIJING – In the past few years China’s Internet vigilantes have mobilized to root out, expose and shame people they perceive to be exhibiting corrupt or immoral behavior.
Marked for their unfettered zeal, the literal translation of the Chinese term for this ad hoc group of sleuthing online activists is: “human flesh search engine.”
Nevertheless, while the stature of this group of online watchmen continues to grow, a new Chinese movie may force the Internet phenomenon out of the online sphere and into the country’s public dialogue.
“Invisible Killer,” produced and co-written by Xie Xiaodong, is the first movie to broach the subject of Internet vigilantism and dramatize the pitfalls of having a mobilized and motivated online mob administering its own brand of justice.
 |
| VIDEO: The dangers of online mob justice |
In the film, the main character, Gao Fei, is accused online of seducing a married woman. In response, his online “judges” mete out justice by digging up and posting personal information about him on the Internet. Branding him a “fugitive” online, the cyber assault on Gao’s character turns even nastier when his home is attacked and a manhunt sponsored by a Web site to locate and interview him turns violent.
Swift Success
The events portrayed in “Invisible Killer” may be fiction, but the story line is not far from reality.
China’s online vigilantes have been active for several years, but their first big breakthrough came in 2006. At the time, the Chinese media and what were seen as “amateur sleuths” began a national manhunt to discover the identity of a Hangzhou woman who appeared in gruesome videos crushing cats under sharp stiletto heels.
…(read more)
