The United Nations flag flies at half-mast in memory of the UN staff members killed in the Ethiopian air crash at the UN headquarters in New York, March 11, 2019. The UN General Assembly and the Security Council on Monday separately observed a minute of silence for the UN staff members who lost their lives in Sunday's air crash in Ethiopia. [Photo/Xinhua]
Chinese internet users continue to pay their condolences to the 157 people who died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.
Eight Chinese people, seven from the mainland and one from Hong Kong, were among the victims.
As news outlets attempted to find personal stories and information about those who lost their lives, a debate on privacy was sparked on Sina Weibo.
The death of one woman from East China's Zhejiang province has intensified the debate.
Within hours of her death the woman's personal information – including her surname, Chen, that she is set to graduate college this year, and that she was traveling to see her boyfriend, a student in the US, to go giraffe-watching in Africa – surfaced in the media, courtesy of "search experts".
Chen's personal Sina Weibo account has been widely shared, and an increasing number of netizens have left comments on her homepage.
[Photo/weibo.com]
"Kiki, do you love me", a lyric from Canadian rapper Drake's hit song In My Feelings, has now trended on social media, due mainly to the fact that it was the last post on Chen's account.
Most netizens expressed their regret for Chen's loss while commenting on her Sina Weibo account.
"I hope that you will see the most beautiful scenery in the heaven," said Yang Xiaozhi.
"I am so sorry to know you through this way, and I truly hope that you may rest in peace," added Hai Zhige.
Some however left crass remarks commenting on Chen's appearance, lifestyle, friends and family background, with a number using vulgar language.
Many now argue that we shouldn't use social media to comb through the private lives of the dead – maybe paying too much attention is just another way to show disrespect.
Some Sina Weibo users have called for an emergency service that would clean up people's social media accounts when they die, so they could then truly rest in peace.
[Photo/weibo.com]
The death of a young college student is sure to arouse curiosity – there is no need to criticize this human interest.
In an era however when anyone can publish news, on their social media accounts, for example, we must be mindful of ethics.
In-depth reports about the deceased do not help investigators solve the accident, nor do they contribute to valuable discourse – they are often mere gossip.
An old Chinese saying, "Si Zhe Wei Da," says that the dead should be respected, and that the living should no longer talk about their rights and wrongs.
While more and more netizens get to know Chen's story, it may only bring more harm and hurt to her loved ones.
In our increasingly online era, people should still be responsible for what they say. Harsh words can be a brutal weapon and can cause serious injuries to people we do not even know.
Sina Weibo has hidden Chen's posts and closed several online users' account for abuse, saying, "Please respect the deceased and discuss the accident rationally."
