2016年CRI Anger Over Viral Video Raises Questions on Privacy Protection in China

 

In the online video posted on Sunday, the driver of a black sedan repeatedly slaps and verbally insults an express courier after their vehicles collided in a residential¹ parking lot.

The incident took place in Beijing's Chaoyang District on Sunday.

The attacker, surnamed Li, has since apologized and is now serving 10-days detention².

The delivery company that employs the victim says its provided medical care to its employee and may pursue further legal actions against the driver of the sedan.

The video has been gaining a lot of traction³ in China, with many denouncing the violent behavior of the attacker.

Even Shi Weixing, who initially⁴ posted the video on his Weibo account, says he is surprised by how quickly the post is being viewed.

"I initially saw the video in a private chat group on my Wechat account, and I posted it on Weibo on Sunday afternoon. From there, numerous journalists began to repost it. The number of viewers exploded just two hours after my original post, which now has over 20 million views. Some have even conducted their own cyber manhunt, revealing the identity of the attacker."

The attackers vehicle license⁵ plate number, his cell phone number and his residential registration⁶ form have all been posted online by social media users.

Reporter Zhang Yao with the Beijing Evening News, which has been covering the incident closely, says the attacker began getting crank calls to his mobile phone shortly after the video went live.

"Mr. Li became aware of the online video, as it became widely circulated on the day of the incident. As he and his family were dealing⁷ with the aftermath of the earlier events, he began to receive numerous calls from strangers on his cell phone. His phone would ring, he'd pick up, and there would be silence on the other side. The caller would then hang up. He received about 100 such calls within an hour."

Many reporters and citizens have also tried to confront the attacker at the address posted online which is contained on his residential registration forum⁸.

The problem is, that form was old.

He sold that apartment to another family a few weeks before, which has created a major headache for the new owner of the property.

"I bought this apartment in March, and the previous owner, the attacker in the video, has not lived here for a long time. Since the incident, many journalists have arrived at my door to ask for an interview. There has also been hate mail and packages containing things meant for funerals and burials. I am fearful that my family is going to keep being harassed⁹. I'm lso angry that someone could be so irresponsible as to make public the address without finding out its current status. I have notified the police, but they say there is little they can do."

Law professor Yang Weidong with the Chinese Academy of Governance says Chinese lawmakers are starting to address cyber privacy invasions.

"In 2014, the Supreme¹⁰ People's Court issued a judicial¹¹ interpretation¹² regarding online privacy protection. It said when Internet users or Internet service providers violate personal privacy by publishing people's personal details, they can be punishable under civil laws. In 2013, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate also listed severe Internet based personal attacks or insults as criminal acts. "

Those rules were brought in during a spike¹³ in internet users in China forwarding fake or exaggerated rumors¹⁴ through social networking sites such as Weibo and WeChat.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

1 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

2 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

3 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

4 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

5 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

6 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

7 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

8 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

9 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

10 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

11 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

12 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

13 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

14 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》