Internet Vigilantism: Attitudes and Experiences of University Students Toward Cyber Crowdsourcing in Hong Kong

Abstract

With the development of the Internet, Internet vigilantism (netilantism) has emerged as a new phenomenon in recent years. Although there are several qualitative studies explaining netilantism, there is little empirical research on public perceptions of netilantism. This article aims to outline Hong Kong university students' general perception of netilantism and investigate the differences between different roles in netilantism. By using empowerment theory as the theoretical framework, we will investigate whether Internet vigilantes (netilantes) (a) perceive the criminal justice system as effective, (b) possess high levels of self-efficacy in the cyber world, and (c) tend to believe netilantism can achieve social justice. Findings support the proposition that human flesh search engine is an empowerment tool for the netilante enabling him or her to achieve his goal of social justice. Different roles in netilantism (i.e., bystander, netilante, victim, and none of the above roles) have different perceptions of netilantism and the criminal justice system. The results will be explained by studying two representative cases of netilantism-the "Government Official Molestation" case and the "Cat Abuse in Shun Tin Village" case from China and Hong Kong, respectively.

Online Social Shaming and the Moralistic Imagination: The Emergence of Internet‐Based Performative Shaming

“…The future of the shaming vigilante or digilante is also a factor in determining the character of the online shaming efforts to come. The labor that is provided by the vigilantes or those who administer the shamings is often unpaid (Chang & Poon, ; Cohen, ), compensated primarily by opportunistic increases in the vigilante’s reputations or the administrators’ institutional positions. Also, potential factors are the individuals’ personal investments in their vigilante narratives over time, either in the time and resources spent in producing them or in the belief that they somehow are contributing to a fairer and more just world (Hou et al, , p. 19).…”

Regulatory Theory

“…Cyber crowdsourcing-the power of netizens conducting crime investigation by using social networking tools-has been shown to be a formidable form of private regulation. This is especially the case in Asia (Chang and Poon 2016;Grabosky 2013). Cyber crowdsourcing has been successfully used to identify viruses and malware.…”

Citizen co‐production of cyber security: Self‐help, vigilantes, and cybercrime

“…Some researchers have proposed a theoretical framework of nodal governance for the policing of cyberspace that conveys the notion that policing needs to be conducted through the collaborative efforts of plural actors (nodal clusters), including criminal investigators, private industry players, and individual internet users (Huey et al ). And with the rise of internet vigilantism (netilantism) and public‐private cooperation (co‐production) in cybercrime investigation, there is a need for us to understand how private sectors and netizens can help in the co‐production of cybersecurity and the risks that may accompany it (Brenner ; Chang ; Huey et al ; Nhan et al ; Chang & Poon ).…”

“…It is called renrou sousou in Chinese, literally, human flesh search or internet vigilantism (netilantism). While some might participate in netilantism for fun, Chang and Poon () suggest that netilantes (internet vigilantes) possess the highest level of self‐efficacy in the cyber world, perceive the criminal justice system as ineffective and – unlike all other roles – perceive netilantism as effectively achieving social justice.…”