Celebrity divorce reveals dark side of internet

Actor Wang Baoqiang stole the thunder from the Rio Olympic Games two weeks ago by exposing the "extramarital affair" between his wife Ma Rong and his agent Song Zhe.

Soon after Wang moved a Beijing court to seek divorce from his wife, custody of their two children and a division of the couple's assets, Ma filed a defamation suit against Wang, rejecting his allegation and claiming he had damaged her reputation. Complicating matters further, a source close to Ma told the media that it was Wang who had had an extramarital affair.

While the mudslinging continues, the issue has sparked a frenzy on the internet, with major social network websites playing a big role in the developments.

According to the Legal Daily, within 24 hours of Wang issuing his statement, nearly 2,000 self-proclaimed micro blog accounts of Song and Ma cropped up on Sina Weibo, a leading micro-blogging websites. All the accounts were created by imposters who changed their account names just to attract more followers. Rumors and allegations have flooded WeChat, a popular chatting app, with many public accounts uploading stories with provocative titles.

Many of these accounts attracted huge numbers of undiscerning followers, because most users tend to search key words to read "news". Those with acute business acumen soon began peddling so-called "sex videos of Ma and Song" on the web, which turned out to be just cartoons.

A search for "Ma Rong" on taobao.com, China's leading e-commerce website, throws up thousands of underwear which reportedly belong to Ma. A tourism website raised eyebrows for using a promotional slogan that read: "Baoqiang, don't be sad. Come to enjoy the gentle breeze in Hainan". And a restaurant is offering discounts to customers whose names include "Bao" or "Qiang". Such apparently creative, but actually dirty, ways of promoting products and services to make money continue.

It is clear some people are using the Wang-Ma case to make quick money.

Wang said that he hoped to minimize the harm the event could cause his children and parents, but the online activities are adding insult to the injury of not only Wang but also Ma.

As a public figure, Wang knew his "revelation" and statements would be panned by the people and media alike, but he still went ahead and made his wife's so-called extramarital affair public. And even though the matter has become a hot topic of discussion, those using the internet to gossip about the affair should realize that irresponsible comments and spreading of rumors are adding to the pain of the couple.

By reposting or forwarding the rumors, people inadvertently commit the offense of rumor-mongering. But they should be cautious, because irresponsible comments can cause unnecessary harm to people. And internet service providers should take steps to prevent the promotion of malicious content.

The public accounts that saw a sudden increase in their number of followers may lose them again once people realize they have been fooled into spreading rumors for the benefit of unscrupulous individuals, but the episode has highlighted the importance of establishing a mechanism to stop rumormongers going berserk online. It may be impossible to close the accounts of all the people who spread rumors online, but the identification of those who started the rumor with ulterior motives is necessary - and the culprits deserve due punishment.

Similar to people who are reluctant to help an old person in need for fear of inviting trouble, the "onlooker" mentality on the internet is condemnable.

Behind those promoting such online frenzy are unscrupulous individuals who use even the most tragic and personal events to make money. And they should be stopped now.

The writer is an editor with China Daily. lifangchao@chinadaily.com.cn