Now, in hot pursuit, Spookémon Go!

Crowdsourcing is a dynamic way to raise funds for unusual causes. But is it an equally good way to identify spies? After all, the first lesson of spying is to remain inconspicuous to at least untrained eyes. So, the Beijing city authorities’ reasons for offering cash rewards of up to 5 lakh yuan ($72,000) to the Chinese public to provide information on foreign spies is puzzling. Surely, their own espionage professionals should be up to scratch when it comes to sniffing out spooks.

Given the proverbial accuracy of Chinese whispers, it is not surprising that the national hotline set up two years ago for patriotic Chinese citizenry to provide information for “preventing or stopping espionage behaviour” of networks and individuals has not proved to be the ultimate secret (agent) weapon.

How many spies come in from a cold call anyway? Monetary enticements do not promise to be any more successful than the government’s earlier advertisements cautioning Chinese women about dating forceful men lest they turn out to be latter-day James Bonds. But the illustrated guide the Beijing government thoughtfully provided, outlining what or who to look out for, could turn out to be a genuine bestseller, especially if other paranoid governments decide to crowdsource spook hunts as well. A real-life Spookémon Go chase has the potential to beat Pokémon Go hollow.