In China, Government Workers Push Rosy, Diverting Views Online

China heavily censors its Internet, limiting what its people can see or say online to channels that the government can control. But China’s managing of its message does not end there. It also taps untold masses of people to cheer for its side on online message boards and social media.

The common belief that they are paid 50 cents per post leads people in China to call them the Fifty Cent Party. A new study says those people are closer to the government than previously thought. The study, from researchers at Harvard, says the legions of online commenters are not all freelancers paid by the post. In fact, it says that most are government employees, preaching the principles of the Chinese Communist Party on social media while carrying out their jobs in the local tax bureau or at a county government office. They are also incredibly prolific.