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Li Wenliang’s death had only been announced a few hours earlier, but Warming High-Tech was already on the case. The company had been monitoring online mentions of the COVID-whistleblower’s name in the several days since police had detained and punished him for “spreading rumors.” Now, news of his deteriorating condition, and eventual passing, had triggered a deluge of sorrow and outrage online adorned with candle emojis, photos of farewell wishes scrawled into the snow, and a final image of the 34-year-old ophthalmologist as he lay in his hospital bed in Wuhan.
It was February 7, 2020, and Warming High-Tech’s “Word Emotion Internet Intelligence Research Institute” swung into action, drafting a “Special Report on Major Internet Sentiment” for “relevant central authorities.” Warming’s report explained that online discussions of Li had “flooded” the Internet; the public’s “grief and indignation” would demand an urgent response from government off ....

United States , Hong Kong , Tibet Autonomous Region , Liu Cheng , Republic Of China , Taiwan General , Tiananmen Square , Sina Weibo , Blake Miller , Tencent Weibo , Netease Weibo , Sohu Weibo , Anne Marie Brady , Li Keqiang , Cai Qi , Li Wenliang , Kevin Frayer , Perry Link , David Bandurski , Jude Blanchette , Jeffrey Knockel , Surveillancejessica Batke Mareike Ohlberg , Huaqiao University School Of Journalism , Management Bureau , Columbia Law School Benjaminl Liebman , University Of Toronto ,