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China hires 'cyber-agents'
19/05/2005 20:50 - (SA)
Beijing - The Chinese government has started using "cyber-agents" to spread positive political messages on the internet and better control public opinion, reported state media on Thursday.
Several cities had set up special "online propaganda troops" who posed as ordinary internet users in chatrooms and other cyber-forums as they spread favourable spin for the government, said the Southern Weekend newspaper.
According to the paper, one example was Suqian city in eastern Jiangsu province, which set up its own 26-member propaganda force late last month, recruiting mainly officials with previous experience in public relations.
A member of a newly established force Lu Ruchao said: "Chatrooms are centres for public sentiment. It's very worthwhile for opinion workers to pay attention to these places."
Positive views on law enforcers
The paper cited an example of how the force works in practice, saying it might react to online criticism of the police force by posting positive views on the law enforcers.
Ruchao said: "The police is working under the threat of knives and guns, so how can people criticise them? Of course we should step in and turn around public opinion on this issue."
Suqian was by no means the only place where such online propaganda warriors had been put to work.
The paper said that in Jiangsu province alone, the cities of Nanjing and Wuxi had set up similar groups already last year.
According to the paper by the end of 2004, a total of 127 officials from all parts of China had received special training in Beijing on how to form and steer public opinion on the internet.
Access to unrestricted news
The report might indicate a new chapter had opened in the Chinese government's protracted struggle to come to terms with the internet.
The country was estimated to have a total of about 100 million internet users, meaning an unprecedented number now had access to a relatively free and unrestricted exchange of news and opinions.
Although the government had closed down thousands of cyber-cafes, it had realised that choking the internet was not the answer, since access to online content also had huge advantages in terms of giving people technical skills.
- SAPA
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