'HIV prostitute' blog hoax zooms on cyber-privacy

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-20 10:30

A blog that falsely proclaimed that a Hebei province woman is HIV positive was a hoax by an ex-boyfriend intent upon revenge - and a case study into the debate about people's right of privacy in cyberspace.

The woman, Yan Deli, a native in Hebei province, tested negative for HIV/AIDS Monday by the local disease control center.

Police of Rongcheng county in Hebei province said the blog with indecent photos and words was written by Yan's ex-lover surnamed Yang, in a bid to get revenge on Yan. Yan met Yang in Beijing.

The local government is considering holding a press conference to reveal the latest development of investigation.

The hoax that emerged on the Internet last week accused Yan of being a prostitute and said that her 279 cell phone numbers belonged to "former clients."

The IP address of the blog and the photos' IP address are from Beijing, the police said.

Beijing Chaoyang District Police Bureau was not available to comment the case Monday.

The hoax has caused worries about the violation of privacy in the virtual world, and raised questions about how much the blogger and the websites should be held responsible.

Yu Guofu, a lawyer with Beijing Sam & Partners Law Firm, said the blogger will face legal consequences, because the violators of laws in the virtual world - an extension of the real world - should be punished as well.

But the difference, Yu said, is how quickly illegal content can be spread on the Internet, and how difficult it is to collect proof of a crime on the Internet.

The Internet providers, including portal websites and forums, produce no content but provide a platform. They might have facilitated the violation of people's rights on purpose or by mistake, Yu said.

But whether the websites should face legal consequences is unclear.

Chu Meng, with the portal website tianya.cn where netizens posted the content of the blog featuring Yan, said the company has measures to block illegal information with certain procedures.

The website company has the right to remove illegal content including porn, violence and anti-government information.

Concerning other content, if complaints are made with proof that something is false, the website will delete that posting. Otherwise, the website will be held responsible for the false information being disseminated. Though the massive flow of opinions and information on the Internet has its pros and cons, the Web is still a place for freedom of speech for all people, Chu said.

"We count on laws," she said of measures to protect privacy and reputation on the Internet.

"We also count on fairness and justice in people's hearts."