The Uighur protest/riot/crackdown in China provides some interesting data points on the uses of information terrain to disrupt social networks. Note the amplification.
- Rumors led to postings on the Internet that two Uighur men raped a Han woman at a Toy factory in Xinjiang.
- An angry mob of Han men lynch two Uighur men, killing them.
- Pictures/video of the dead men are posted to the Internet. Here's one: "Chinese Commies Massacre Innocent Uyghur Workers 3"
- Protest forms to march against the lynching.
- Combination of angry protestors and a harsh paramilitary response (China has a 1 million man paramilitary force to squelch domestic unrest) lead to a riot. Cars, businesses are burned. 1,400 Uighurs are arrested.
- Pictures of the crackdown by the paramilitaries are broadcast via the Internet/cell phones. Also real-time news via SMS and Twitter flows out.
- The government restricts cell phone usage and shuts down Twitter and other social software systems in the area. Images and information on the crackdown are "harmonized" (the creepy term for Chinese censorship).
- Pictures of Uighur violence against Han citizens (beatings, etc.) are allowed to spread and amplified by the official media. Han gangs roam the streets beating Uighurs. The army sets up curfew.
- Official government media creates disinformation/information sites and equates the riots to terrorism. Many Uighurs flee to avoid Han violence. Tensions/anger on both sides is explosive.