China Police Now Micro-Blogging

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China might be ruled by a strict regime, but this doesn’t mean the government will not embrace new technologies. The Chinese police force has recently started micro-blogging as a way to better connect to the citizenry.

Twitter is banned in China, and some who express dissent by tunneling through firewalls and posting potentially seditious remarks have met harsh punishments. But the Chinese are a big market for information services, with about 450 million internet users. The government has, therefore, decided to reach out to most of this audience through micro-blogs.

Chinese Internet service providers run their own micro-blogging services, of which the “Safe Beijing” microblog is a user. The official police account sends safety tips, traffic reports, and tips on how to follow the rules better. For example, safety warnings about burglaries have been issued. Motorists are also warned against illegal activities they might not know of (such as blocking or hiding license plates).

The police are also data-mining micro-blogs as a way to research for information and opinion on various issues like traffic laws, visa applications and public safety. Of course, users might not be as vocal or opinionated, given strict rules against dissent. But it’s a good start to better dialog between citizenry and government through social media.