The long arm of China's massive internal security apparatus just reached further into the heart of the country's web. On August 4, China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced that it would embed law enforcement officers at major Internet companies, which appear to include China Mobile, U.S.-listed Alibaba, and Tencent, which owns WeChat, the country's largest social network. The online press release did not specify a time frame, but emphasized that creating rooms for "web police" in each company's offices would aid the timely discovery and prevention of evils like terrorism, fraud, the theft of personal information, and, of course, "rumors," meaning whatever the government decides is a speech crime. In a paternalistic flourish, the MPS reminded companies they must be "a model of self discipline in the industry," and refrain from publishing "vulgar [or] harmful information."
