Universities in China have found a way to reconcile students’ love of Web discussion boards with the government’s prohibition on politically provocative speech: The institutions are recruiting students to act as undercover cops on campus-run Internet forums.
A New York Times article follows Hu Yingying, a student at Shanghai Normal University who spends several hours each week on campus forums. Ms. Hu’s undercover police work is often subtle: Not only does she report students who post "offensive" material, but she also tries to anesthetize dangerous conversations by writing innocuous posts of her own. Disruptive trolls may be the most common form of guerrilla activity in Web forums, but in China’s upside-down Internet world, the most manipulative posters may be those who seem the most guileless. (The New York Times)
