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Human flesh search engine (Chinese:人肉搜索;pinyin:Rénròu Sōusuǒ) is a Chinese term for the phenomenon of distributed researching using Internet media such asblogs andforums. Internet media, particularly dedicated websites and forums, serve as platforms for broadcasting requests and action plans related to human flesh search, as well as for sharing both online and offline search results.
Human flesh search engine is similar to the concept of "doxing". Both human flesh search and doxing are typically viewed as identifying and exposing individuals forpublic humiliation, sometimes out ofvigilantism, nationalist or patriotic sentiments, or the desire to circumventInternet censorship in the People's Republic of China.[1][2] However, more recent analyses have shown that it is also used for other purposes, such as exposinggovernment corruption,[3][4] identifyinghit and run drivers, and exposingscientific fraud, as well as for more "entertainment"-related items such as identifying people seen in pictures. A categorization of hundreds of human flesh search (HFS) episodes can be found in the 2010IEEEComputer Magazine paper "A Study of the Human Flesh Search Engine: Crowd-Powered Expansion of Online Knowledge".[5]
Due to the convenience and efficiency of information sharing incyberspace, human flesh search is often used to acquire information that is typically difficult or impossible to find through traditional methods (such as libraries or search engines). Once this information is available, it can be rapidly distributed across hundreds of websites, making it an extremely powerfulmass medium. The purposes of human flesh search vary fromproviding technical/professional Q&A support, to revealing private/classified information about specific individuals or organizations (therefore breaching the internet confidentiality and anonymity). Because personal knowledge or unofficial (sometimes illegal) access are frequently depended upon to acquire this information, the reliability and accuracy of such searches often vary.[citation needed]
The term originated on theMop forums in 2001, coined by Mop to describe "a search that was human-powered rather than computer-driven". The original human flesh search engine was a subforum on Mop similar to aquestion-and-answer (Q&A) site, focusing on entertainment-related questions. Gradually, the definition of the term evolved from not just a searchby humans, but also a searchof humans.[6][7]
An early human flesh search dated back to March 2006, whennetizens onTianya Club collaborated to identify anInternet celebrity named "Poison" (simplified Chinese:毒药; traditional Chinese:毒藥; pinyin:dúyào). The man was found out to be a high-level government official.
However,Fei-Yue Wang et al. state that the earliest HFS search was in 2001, "when a user posted a photo of a young woman on a Chinese online forum..., and claimed she was his girlfriend." She was eventually identified as a minor celebrity and the initial claim was discredited.[5]
The human flesh search engine has also been deployed for amusement. Johan Lagerkvist, author ofAfter the Internet, Before Democracy: Competing Norms in Chinese Media and Society, said that theLittle Fatty meme, in which pictures of a teenager were photoshopped on film posters without the boy's permission, demonstrated that the human flesh search engine "can also be directed against society'ssubaltern and the powerless" and that "[t]his raises important issues of the legitimate right to privacy, defamation, and slander."[8]
TheBaojia system of community rule-of-law in ancient China bears strong similarities with human flesh search. Both are based on some form ofvigilantism.
In December 2008, thePeople's Court inBeijing called it an alarming phenomenon because of its implications in "cyberviolence" and violations ofprivacy law.[9] Human flesh searches are banned under the law.[4]
South China Tiger photograph claims: In 2007, a man in Shaanxi Province, China, claimed to have encountered a live wild South China Tiger, which has long been considered extinct in natural environments. The photos he had taken were later published. The wide circulation of these photos triggered a wave of authentication among web users. who leveraged expertise in diverse domains ranging from zoology, botany, to photography and geometry. Finally, a participant successfully identified the origin of the images: a New Year's picture published by a small company inZhejiang province, from which the hunter had used to forge the claimed South China Tiger pictures. Human flesh search ended up proving that the photos were fake.[12]: 95–99
Zhang Ya's Earthquake Video: In May 2008,an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 swept throughSichuan, China, killing approximately 87,587 people. In response to the quake, a video insulting the victims was published on YouTube by an anonymous female user. After nationwide outrage, The Human Flesh Search Engine identified the girl as Zhang Ya, doxing her and uploading her personal information online.[citation needed]
Li Gang incident: On October 16, 2010, a drunk-driving student hit a pair of university students while driving insideHebei University, with one fatality, and was reported to have shouted “Sue me if you dare, my dad is Li Gang!” when apprehended. Following the spread of the news on Chinese internet forums, the driver's identity was revealed as Li Qiming, the son of the deputy director of the localpublic security bureau.[citation needed]
Doxed driver in the west of China: On 21 March 2013, a driver in Ürümqi, China rolled down his window to spit on an elderly homeless person lying on the street. Witnesses recorded the first few digits of the license plate. A brief broadcast by a local radio quickly caused a stir on the Internet and the furious netizens doxxed Yin Feng, a part-time taxi driver in Ürümqi, within hours after the incident, resulting in harassing calls and blackmail.[13]
^abWang, Fei-Yue; Zeng, Daniel; Hendler, James A.; Zhang, Qingpeng; Feng, Zhuo; Gao, Yanqing; Wang, Hui; Lai, Guanpi (August 2010). "A Study of the Human Flesh Search Engine: Crowd-Powered Expansion of Online Knowledge".Computer.43 (8):45–53.doi:10.1109/MC.2010.216.ISSN0018-9162.S2CID18333582.
