Netizens may not abuse others online

Taiwanese actress Vivian Hsu, left, and He Jiong smile at a press conference for their new movie Lock Me Up, Tie Him Down in Beijing, Feb 28, 2014. [Photo/IC]

After claiming in a micro blog that his colleague He Jiong, a famous television host, was on the payroll of Beijing Foreign Studies University but not teaching a lesson, Qiao Mu, an associate professor at the university has been verbally abused and harassed by netizens who claim to be "fans" of the TV host. Qiao's personal information, including his cellphone number and photos of his daughter, have also been exposed online. The TV host refuted the freeloading allegations and resigned later with the approval of the university. Comments:

The openness in cyberspace does not mean regulations no longer apply. Such being said, netizens cannot say anything they want, even though their right to speak should be respected. They are obliged to follow the relevant rules and national laws. Virtual as it is, cyberspace is never someone's "private land" but an online community of shared ethics and restrictions, where all netizens should communicate in a rational manner.

People's Daily, May 26

He Jiong is not legally responsible for what some of his fans have done to his former colleague. But, as a public figure, it would be better if he made some efforts to admonish them. More importantly, Qiao has to collect evidence of willful insults and information leakage against him and his family, and report them to the authorities.

Beijing News, May 26

Anonymity is a major cause of the increasing online invasions of privacy and verbal abuse. Under an anonymous cover, some netizens have little fear when violating others' privacy since they are unlikely to be held accountable for their misconduct. Probably they will think twice before conducting a cyber manhunt if they use real identities.

Wu Yiming, a professor of sociology at Nanjing Normal University, May 26

(China Daily 05/27/2015 page8)