China considers real-name system for microblogs

Chinese officials have hinted that the government will require Internet users to register and use microblogs under their real names, with the aim of strengthening the system of self-accountability. Industry insiders said that the current microblog has realized the real-name system to a certain extent. Civil rights activists worry that the authorities have ulterior motives in enforcing the real-name system.

* Minister of Industry and Information Technology asked about the real-name system of Weibo *

The 2010 China Internet Conference was held in Beijing last week. On the first day of the conference, Li Yizhong, minister of Industry and Information Technology, asked in detail about Internet users' use of microblogs at the exhibition area of Tenxun Technology Company, and asked whether Tencent had adopted the real-name system for microblogs.

* Officials say they are studying real-name system, requiring websites to strengthen self-discipline *

On the same occasion on the same day, Gao Xinmin, vice chairman of the Internet Society of China and a member of the National Informatization Expert Advisory Committee, said in an interview with Tencent that Weibo has developed rapidly, but it has also brought some problems. He said people who write microblogs should have self-discipline and must not post bad information on them. Gao also revealed that officials are studying the issue of implementing the real-name system on microblogs, and asking websites that operate microblogs to take social responsibility.

Two days later, Wang Chen, vice minister of the propaganda department and director of The State Council Information Office, said at a public event that blogs and social networking sites had flourished, but there were some uncivilized phenomena on the Chinese Internet, including the Posting of false information and the dissemination of bad videos. He said that the website should strengthen self-discipline, self-management and self-restraint, and effectively guide the release of information on the website.

Since late last month, some Internet users have been asking for their real names and mobile phone numbers when registering to use Weibo on several major websites, including Sina, Sohu, NetEase and Tencent.

But reporters were not asked to provide that information when registering for their Sina Weibo accounts. A Sina Weibo editor said that Sina doesn't currently require ordinary netizens to disclose their real identities when registering for the microblog, and that users will only be required to submit their identity information to Sina if they ask for it themselves.

Sina Weibo editor said: "If you don't need authentication, you don't need to send in your ID card, let us see." When we authenticate, only for celebrities and people with certain influence, we will ask him to verify his real name, and then we can authenticate him."

* Sina: It is not convenient to comment on whether it plans to introduce real name system on Weibo *

As to whether Sina Weibo plans to adopt the real-name system, MAO Taotao, co-director of the public relations department of the Marketing Center of Sina's Sales and Marketing Department, told VOA that the company is not in a position to comment at this time. He also said that from the current situation, Weibo itself is very closely combined with mobile phones, and contains user relationships, so the product has a certain real-name effect.

* Academics: It is not difficult for authorities to know the real identity of Internet users *

In March, Wang Lin, an associate professor at Hainan University's law school, wrote in Guangzhou Daily that in a sense, the real-name system has long been in place for Internet services in China, because home users need to hold personal identification cards to access the Internet. Internet users can speak anonymously at the front desk, but for the vast majority of Internet users, their real names are used in the background.

Zhong Hongan, vice chairman of the Internet Society of Hong Kong, also said that for the vast majority of Internet users, their real identities online are not difficult to confirm by the authorities.

Zhong Hongan said: "In fact, on the Internet, there is actually technology to become more anonymous. But with a typical user, you can actually log in where they are and find out who they are, which is not too difficult."

* Lawyer Pu Zhiqiang: Officials may not have fully explained the reasons for the real-name system *

Pu Zhiqiang, a Beijing-based lawyer who had been using his real name to open microblogs on Sina and other websites, only asked someone else to register his account after several of his accounts were shut down. He agrees that Chinese officials are urging microblogs to adopt the real name system on the grounds of self-accountability, but he suspects that the authorities may have ulterior motives on the issue and that microblogging sites may have to cooperate with them.

Pu Zhiqiang said: "Is it possible for our Internet registration platform to say 'no' in the face of such a claim by security departments and state organs, including the official himself, for the real list of netizens?" At present, Sina, Sohu, NetEase, and other Internet operators such as Baidu and Yahoo have failed to do so. In a game like this with the Chinese government, (they) say that they insist on compromise, but they really compromise on persistence. I said everything (on the issue of the real-name system), and I can express myself the same way as the official, but I believe he did not say everything."

Wang Lin, an associate professor at Hainan University, also worries that advocates of the "online real name system" may not be satisfied with the "backstage real name system", but the "front office real name system", which requires Internet users to speak online with their real identities. He said that it is no exaggeration to say that the implementation of the "front-office real-name system" will certainly make the emerging network industry limited to difficulties.

So far, Chinese officials have not publicly stated that they will implement a "real-name registration system" for Internet users, and have acknowledged the positive impact of the Internet on people's social activities and information communication and online marketing.