New real name rule for bloggers
By Xu Chi |
December 26, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
New users of China's microblogging services will be required to register using their real names in Shanghai from today, a move already adopted in other major cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou in a bid to purge online rumors and enhance credibility, officials said.
The regulation will soon cover all microblog users, the city government said yesterday.
Those who register with their real name can still use nicknames when logging on to publish messages or chat with others, officials said.
On December 16, microblog users in Beijing were the first to be required to register with their real names before being allowed to put up microblog posts.
According to the Beijing government, the move was to protect web users' interests and improve credibility on the Internet. They said the move would help microblogging providers enhance trustworthiness, establish name brands and improve the quality of their services.
The new regulation bans users from posting and duplicating illegal content, including information that leaks state secrets, damages national security and interests, and instigates ethnic resentment, discrimination or illegal rallies that disrupt social order.
Healthy Internet
Last Thursday, seven major websites in Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong Province followed Beijing's lead.
In Shanghai, the city government said that the new rules were "in line with Chinese laws and regulations to foster a healthy Internet culture and better manage social networking websites and instant-messaging tools," Xinhua news agency reported.
China had 63 million microblog users by the end of 2010, accounting for 13.8 percent of its 457 million Internet users, according to data released by the China Internet Network Information Center earlier this year.
On Weibo.com, the real-name registration regulation has sparked heated discussion.
Some users are concerned that the new policy may put their private information at risk of being stolen and exposed by hackers, while some question whether the new regulation would end up having little effect.
"If the microblog service providers are not equipped with strong online security measurements to ensure profiles' safety, I may simply quit it before someone uses my own name to violate the laws or cheat on others," said a user nicknamed Clark.
Last week, more than 50 million user profiles on several of China's most popular online forums and gaming websites were reported to have been hacked and details uploaded online for anyone to copy.
The regulation will soon cover all microblog users, the city government said yesterday.
Those who register with their real name can still use nicknames when logging on to publish messages or chat with others, officials said.
On December 16, microblog users in Beijing were the first to be required to register with their real names before being allowed to put up microblog posts.
According to the Beijing government, the move was to protect web users' interests and improve credibility on the Internet. They said the move would help microblogging providers enhance trustworthiness, establish name brands and improve the quality of their services.
The new regulation bans users from posting and duplicating illegal content, including information that leaks state secrets, damages national security and interests, and instigates ethnic resentment, discrimination or illegal rallies that disrupt social order.
Healthy Internet
Last Thursday, seven major websites in Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong Province followed Beijing's lead.
In Shanghai, the city government said that the new rules were "in line with Chinese laws and regulations to foster a healthy Internet culture and better manage social networking websites and instant-messaging tools," Xinhua news agency reported.
China had 63 million microblog users by the end of 2010, accounting for 13.8 percent of its 457 million Internet users, according to data released by the China Internet Network Information Center earlier this year.
On Weibo.com, the real-name registration regulation has sparked heated discussion.
Some users are concerned that the new policy may put their private information at risk of being stolen and exposed by hackers, while some question whether the new regulation would end up having little effect.
"If the microblog service providers are not equipped with strong online security measurements to ensure profiles' safety, I may simply quit it before someone uses my own name to violate the laws or cheat on others," said a user nicknamed Clark.
Last week, more than 50 million user profiles on several of China's most popular online forums and gaming websites were reported to have been hacked and details uploaded online for anyone to copy.
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