An Internet user in the port city of Xiamen, who goes by the online nickname of Karson, posted in a chat room at www.xmhouse.com an image of the man he believes stole his laptop computer. The website is one of the most frequently visited in the city.

Karson also left a message dated February 12 on the site, saying he worked for a state-run organization and that his Dell D600 laptop had been stolen from his office on the evening of February 6.

"The surveillance camera happened to face my desk, and I later found the video image of the man who entered my office at around 7 pm and took my computer. He then put on his overcoat and left the office, carrying the laptop under his arm," he wrote. "Does anyone know this man, by any chance?"

Karson left his mobile phone number in his message.

The message soon stood out among thousands of others, which are generally about housing and interior decoration. The Xiamen-based website mainly provides online real estate advice.

By the time they were deleted by the network administrator on February 17, over 2,260 Internet surfers had viewed the message and photo.

Although some users expressed sympathy to Karson in their replies, many others reproached him.

"Have you got a green light from police to post this notice?" one of them asked.

Karson said he had not, nor was he even certain whether the police knew anything about the matter.

"For some unknown reason, the security staff at my organization didn't call the police immediately, and I have no idea whether they did afterward," he replied.

Karson said he had taken the clearest possible image of the suspect from the videotape and posted it on the Internet mainly to vent his anger.

But by so doing, he might have pointed the finger at an innocent person, some critics said, claiming that Karson could not be certain that the man was in fact the thief.

One said: "The photo was not clear enough to provide any valuable clues. In fact, my colleagues are making fun of each other for having the slightest resemblance to that man."

Police sources have also disapproved of Karson's action.

"He should have reported the matter to the police," said an officer on duty at the public security 110 hotline. "Besides, individuals are not entitled to publish such notices. Only public security departments can do that."

Chen Fuzhen, an attorney with the local Qizheng Law Firm, said the posting of an unauthorized notice could even lead to prosecution for infringing on an individual's rights.

"It's an overt violation of a citizen's right to privacy, because strictly speaking it's against Chinese law to expose a suspect to the public even if they have been caught red-handed," he said. "And after all, the person who posted it is not a detective and may not have enough proof even to sue the man."

Chen said he opposed using the Internet in ways that could defame others and cause chaos.

The Chinese mainland had 79.5 million Internet users at the end of last year. Insiders say legal cases concerning web-related disputes, most having to do with copyright infringement and plagiarism, are beginning to emerge.

(China Daily February 23, 2004)