Chinese Cybercops
After writing earlier about all the click fraud going on these days, and because there's a lot of fairly scammy stuff in the world of PTR, it was kinda funny that I came across a little entry about Chinese Cybercops at Howard Rheingold's Smart Mobs blog.
In a nutshell, it seems the police in Shenzhen are going to require all Shenzhen websites to have two 'virtual police' icons that users can click on and ask questions that will be answered by real police. People can file complaints, or just chat with the cybercops to learn more about laws related to the Net, and to let them rest easy knowing that the cops will protect them in cyberspace just like in the real world.
It's a good reminder that while it sucks that there are all kinds of scams online, it would also suck if cyberspace becomes too regulated. What good is the Net if it's in 'lock-down' mode? Sure, I totally geeked out the first time I read John Perry Barlow's Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, but to be honest, I think that while a lot of people may have romanticized notions about life in a lawless frontier, cyber or otherwise, I don't think many of them would like the reality, particularly if they've ever experienced it.
On the other hand, I don't think these Chinese Cybercops are going to be very effective. So far I haven't seen a lot of government regulation of the Net that is. Maybe that will change, but when it does, will it be a good thing?
In a nutshell, it seems the police in Shenzhen are going to require all Shenzhen websites to have two 'virtual police' icons that users can click on and ask questions that will be answered by real police. People can file complaints, or just chat with the cybercops to learn more about laws related to the Net, and to let them rest easy knowing that the cops will protect them in cyberspace just like in the real world.
It's a good reminder that while it sucks that there are all kinds of scams online, it would also suck if cyberspace becomes too regulated. What good is the Net if it's in 'lock-down' mode? Sure, I totally geeked out the first time I read John Perry Barlow's Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, but to be honest, I think that while a lot of people may have romanticized notions about life in a lawless frontier, cyber or otherwise, I don't think many of them would like the reality, particularly if they've ever experienced it.
On the other hand, I don't think these Chinese Cybercops are going to be very effective. So far I haven't seen a lot of government regulation of the Net that is. Maybe that will change, but when it does, will it be a good thing?
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