Chinese internet technology staff and researchers have discovered while organizing public information that a web evaluation app called “Ji Shiben” has appeared in government documents and training materials in multiple regions. Public documents show that this system has been incorporated into the daily work mechanisms of the Chinese Communist Party’s internet supervision system, propaganda system, and local departments, involving tasks such as commenting, forwarding, liking, and ranking based on points.
On May 18th, overseas social media exposed that the “Ji Shiben” system has been found in the systems of various provinces and cities, as well as different departments of the Chinese Communist Party. Despite the CCP officials repeatedly emphasizing the need to rectify what they call “formalism at your fingertips,” documents released between 2023 and 2025 in many regions reveal that the “Ji Shiben” web evaluation app has established a mechanism for task allocation, point statistics, and ranking management. Public teaching materials indicate that this system includes modules such as “Headlines,” “Main Field,” and “Columns,” requiring users to complete designated tasks like forwarding and commenting.
Mr. Chen, an active internet user from Shenyang, expressed to Epoch Times that local CCP internet supervision offices and cyber police have built a large cyber army, stating that “some retirees who have nothing to do act as internet reviewers, earning a few hundred or even a thousand RMB per month. They are tasked with monitoring which individuals in the group spread negative information, such as incidents of domestically-produced electric cars catching fire or mocking government policies, and they report such netizens.”
Mr. Chen further disclosed that “Previously, internet reviewers mostly received tasks in WeChat groups, commenting and forwarding after receiving notifications. Now, it has switched to an app for task assignment. They can see who finished the task, who didn’t, and their ranking position. From the perspective of an ordinary user, it’s becoming more like a clock-in system.”
Between 2023 and 2025, annual reports of various governments, rectification notifications, and public work documents in many regions have featured content related to the “Ji Shiben” app. Online information indicates that these contents involve internet supervision, statistics, affairs of retired military personnel, procuratorates, and other systems. Authorities not only require internet reviewers to install and use the app but also set specific indicators such as task quantity, completion rate, forwarding frequency, and ranking based on points.
The annual report of a unit in Suining Zuoqi, Inner Mongolia in 2023 mentioned the establishment of a 30-member core team of internet reviewers to improve the execution rate of tasks using the “Ji Shiben” app. The 2024 annual report of Yueyang, Hunan indicated that there were 15 personnel available to use the “Ji Shiben” app locally, with an additional 35 personnel added. The document stated that internet reviewers are required to provide “timely and effective front-end guidance” on major events.
Furthermore, the inspection and rectification report of Jinkouhe District, Leshan City, Sichuan in 2025 mentioned that due to the resignation of internet reviewers, the “Ji Shiben” app was not being used. After rectification, personnel were reassigned to be in charge, and since 2025, they have completed a total of 79 commenting and forwarding tasks.
Public documents from Shuangluo District, Chengde, Hebei, revealed that a team of 71 internet reviewers utilized the “Ji Shiben” app to publish over 3,000 positive guiding comments and forward 25,869 articles. Another document from the local statistics bureau recorded that some units completed 93 forwards, 83 comments, and monitored completion through points.
Regarding the above situation, Mr. Chen stated that the CCP authorities have long guided public opinion through internet reviewer teams, and this work has become part of the internet governance system: “The authorities have felt that in recent years, online discourse has threatened regime security. Through points and rankings, they have implemented a system of rewards and punishments, which is very effective in situations where a large number of people are unemployed, especially when faced with group incidents, these people have become accomplices to the CCP’s wrongdoing.”
Documents show that the “Ji Shiben” system includes levels such as the “Heroes List,” general team, support team, main team, and intermediate team, as well as individual rankings, organizational rankings, and task statistics functions. App tutorial materials indicate that users can view point rankings, task completion rates, and the performance of subordinate organizations.
Currently, public documents have included point, ranking, and task completion rate statistics, but unified rules for rewards or penalties have not yet been disclosed.
Internet engineer Mr. Zhang told reporters, “Looking at how the internet review tasks have entered the app system, this model borrows the common user operation methods of internet platforms, combining tasks, points, and rankings, along with hierarchical management, forming a continuous behavior. I estimate that this system will soon develop to monitor overseas accounts. It was recently reported that authorities were targeting overseas accounts. At that time, this system was operated by public security, but in the future, it may evolve into navy operations.”
The “Headline” section of the system is defined as receiving key tasks from the central Internet Information Office, while the “Main Field” receives tasks from local management departments. Some tasks require sharing through browsers rather than directly through the app. Public teaching materials state that this is to reduce the risk of the app name frequently appearing in one place.
Since the establishment of the Central Committee for Comprehensive Management of Internet Security and Informatization by the CCP in 2013, the internet supervision system has continued to expand. Subsequently, the CCP has successively promoted measures such as the “Clear and Bright Action,” “Comprehensive Internet Governance System,” and “Internet Civilization Construction,” while expanding the team of internet reviewers, grassroots propagandists, and internet volunteer teams. The web evaluation app recently exposed by netizens is interpreted as a new tool used by the CCP to control online public opinion.