China’s Top Tweeters Under Fire

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Aug. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Could a celebrity critic of theChinese government be so stupid as to hire a prostitute while inBeijing? Advocates of a free Chinese Internet certainly hope so,thanks to the weekend arrest of one of China’s most outspokenWeb personalities for allegedly hiring a prostitute almost fourdecades his junior.

The news -- and the uncertainty surrounding it -- haselectrified the Chinese blogosphere, raising questions aboutjust how far the authorities intend to go to control onlinespeech and shame those who threaten its grip on public opinion.