China Censors Take to Crowdsourcing, Astroturfing to Manage the Web
Title: China Censors Take to Crowdsourcing, Astroturfing to Manage the Web
PermaLink: http://www.chinaventurenews.com/50226711/china_censors_take_to_crowdsourcing_astroturfing_to_manage_the_web.php
Filed in archive Internet by Greg Cruey on July 20, 2008
China is evidently paying people to say the "right" (read: politically correct) thing on the Internet. And (surprise) they've been doing it for a while, according to blogger Joop Dorresteijn.
Let's make some distinctions. First, censorship is what happens when the government decides to not let you see something. If USA Today is censored where you live, that means you don't get to see it. Astroturfing is a public relations tool; it's an orchestrated effort to shape public opinion with what looks like grassroots discussion - but isn't because, well, it's orchestrated. Finally, I should mention crowdsourcing. That's when you get the larger community of Internet users to do your job for you (like with Wikipedia).
The story traces back to a piece in the Far East Economic Review (which I'm guessing is censored in China) about the "50-cent army."

© Rivard
Let's make some distinctions. First, censorship is what happens when the government decides to not let you see something. If USA Today is censored where you live, that means you don't get to see it. Astroturfing is a public relations tool; it's an orchestrated effort to shape public opinion with what looks like grassroots discussion - but isn't because, well, it's orchestrated. Finally, I should mention crowdsourcing. That's when you get the larger community of Internet users to do your job for you (like with Wikipedia).
The story traces back to a piece in the Far East Economic Review (which I'm guessing is censored in China) about the "50-cent army."

© Rivard
Read more of "China Censors Take to Crowdsourcing, Astroturfing to Manage the Web"

Mr Wong










