Net nationalism: The digitalization of the Uyghur diaspora

Following the deadly riots in Xinjiang in early July 2009, news agencies and other organizations received e-mail messages calling on Tibetans to participate in worldwide protests and demonstrations in front of China's diplomatic missions in support of and solidarity with the suppressed Uyghurs in East Turkestan (Xinjiang). Allegedly sent by the Uyghur American Association and the World Uyghur Congress, these e-mail messages proved to be fake; they had never been sent by the uaa or the wuc. This is not the first time that hackers, most probably Chinese (as no one else has a motive in such provocations), have used the Internet to undermine Uyghur activism by impersonation, delivering viruses and blocking Web sites and occasionally interfering in personal e-mail exchanges (including academic, based on my own personal experience).¹ This incident highlights both the positive and the negative significance of digital communications. On the one hand, Uyghurs have greatly expanded the use of the Internet, achieving a higher degree of visibility than ever before; on the other hand, by doing so they have become exposed to disruptions, malicious penetrations, and cyberattacks as a part of a long-standing conflict between them and China.