The New York Times reports that starting this summer the Hong Kong government will have recruited 200,000 young people to serve as Internet police in the war against illegal downloading. It gets more disturbing: not only will these poor (mostly) pre-adolescent kids be known as Youth Ambassadors and be commanded to narc on cool people, but the current 1,600 recruits have to pledge allegiance to the cause in a dramatic assembly-type-thing in front of a slew of Hong Kong’s celebrities and government officials. Those asked to participate include members of the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides (whatever that is) and nine other uniform-sporting, badge-earning groups of Good Kids with members ranging in age from nine to twenty-five. They’re gonna get so beaten up after school.

[photo: Steve Mcfarland]