Chinese Terminology: Human flesh search

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02:01

And now, it's time for China 24's special series, "Chinese Terminology". We help explain the magnitude of China's reform and opening up. Today, our Jeff Moody looks at the term "human flesh search".

Human flesh search sounds creepy, but it's not a literal search for human flesh. Ren Rou Sou Suo refers to the collaborative efforts of netizens in identifying a specific individual. In this era, videos easily go viral on the Internet and a few clicks on the web is all that's needed for personal information to be pulled up, including where you live and work.

In China, if you're not careful with your behavior, you could quickly find yourself under the scrutiny of more than 3 quarters of a billion web users. The phenomenon first emerged in China during the millennium. It originated from Mop.com, an interactive entertainment website. Users could gain respect-points from the online community by answering questions or providing information to those who seek help.

Today, thousands of Internet users can be mobilized to find and expose information about someone. Some say this technique is a way to seek justice and right wrongs. Others fear they represent a serious violation of online privacy. So the widespread use of this "human flesh search engine" has really been a controversial topic.