The China government employed two million people just to monitor web activity of its people proving how serious the government is in controlling Internet usage.
A report from the Beijing News revealed the strategies used by the government in controlling the Internet involving people hired to monitor the web activity called internet opinion analysts.
Hundreds of millions of Internet users in China use microblogging as a way to voice out dislikes, disappointments, and even anger or criticize the state.
The recent report revealed that these analysts are vigorously focusing on social media. However, Beijing News said that these internet option analysts were not required to remove internet postings. They are only employed "strictly to gather and analyze public opinions on microblog sites and compile reports for decision-makers.”
Tang Xiaotao, a former Internet opinion analyst who worked for less than six months for the government, disclosed the procedures they do.
"He sits in front of a PC every day, and opening up an application, he types in key words which are specified by clients.”
"He then monitors negative opinions related to the clients, and gathers (them) and compile reports and send them to the clients," Beijing News says.
It has also been claimed that the office uses more advanced software backed up by thousands of servers. They also monitor Internet sites outside China.
These people underwent training classes and had to complete eight modules. They were taught how to analyze and judge online postings and deal with crisis situations. Postings believed to be politically incorrect especially those related to corruption are regularly deleted.
There is another scheduled training from October 14 to 18 but the venue is yet to be announced. Once the new participants are certified by the trainers, they will be joining the army being used by the government to monitor web activity.
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