Maskman: cyber muckraker rises (2)

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A FORERUNNER

Zhou is in the vanguard of a new generation of Chinese empowered by the Internet and the will of the government to shine a light on official wrongdoings.

According to the China Internet Network Information Center, the country had 591 million netizens by the end of June 2013, and over 500 million of them are microblog users like Zhou. More and more individuals are becoming their own personal news agencies.

Under an increasingly common pattern, members of the public are reporting graft online and, as public opinion boils, judicial authorities follow up to dig out the corrupt officials. This new form of corruption busting is gaining popularity with its obvious efficiency.

Liu Tienan, former deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning body, fell from grace after a journalist disclosed his suspected economic violations on the Internet and was put under judicial investigation in August.

If the traditional anti-graft watchdogs still guard the gate for the government, the Internet is open to everyone. As a relatively independent power, cyber anti-graft is redefining China's fight against corruption.

"It's safer," said Zhou, who has been keeping his personal information, including the names of schools he attended and places he works for, from the public.

Liu Zhiguo, one of Zhou's informants, had been imprisoned three times after visiting the State Bureau for Letters and Calls, the authority handling reports of grievances against governments, to inform against the local government for reemploying former corrupt officials.

"Our positions were taken by the corrupt criminals, but no authority came to right the wrongs," said Liu, who turned to Zhou and the Internet in desperation after nearly 20 trips to Beijing. "It was my only choice, and cheaper besides."

Seeing the rise of the anti-graft power on the Internet, the once-secretive anti-graft organ of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC and the Ministry of Supervision jointly launched an official website on Sept. 2 to employ the new channel.

Wang Yukai, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance, said the launch of the website will make online whistleblowing more credible and timely. It will also serve as a platform for authorities and the public to interact with each other and foster more online whistleblowers to fight corruption.

But to whistleblowers, the protection is more important, said Zhou, who has been fighting on the Internet under his real name and has been threatened for several times, "there should be legal mechanisms under which revenge against whistleblowers is severely punished."

"Protecting whistleblowers is the best way to encourage real-name tip-offs, so that the public could report without fear," he said.

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