Online real-name system

Background

The origin of the Internet real-name system in the People's Republic of China is generally believed to be the 2002 study by Tsinghua University journalism professor Li Xiguang in the South When talking about news reform, he suggested that "China's National People's Congress should prohibit anyone from being anonymous online." He believes that the Internet should also be strictly protected by copyright and intellectual property rights. “At the same time, you must be legally responsible for writing things online.” “Including traditional media, we should encourage publishing articles using real names instead of pen names. ... It is right to use pseudonyms to publish things. Public irresponsibility."

His remarks caused an uproar on the Internet and was called the "Li Xiguang Incident." Although there was a period of heated debate, no corresponding measures were introduced and the matter was settled. Later, Li Xiguang himself said that he had lost interest in the topic of online real names. "It is very unrealistic to ban online anonymity and is neither legally nor technically feasible."

Relevant Laws

"Non-commercial Internet Information Services Registration Management Measures" (Ministry of Information Industry Order No. 33)

Development status

Since 2003, Internet cafe management departments across China have required all customers who use Internet cafes to provide ID cards, real-name registration, and apply for all-in-one cards, IC cards, etc. to prevent underage People enter Internet cafes.

On May 13, 2004, the Internet Society of China issued the "Internet Email Service Standards" (Draft for Comments), which proposed the real-name system for the first time and emphasized that email service providers should require customers to submit real customer information. The data will be the criterion for judging the ownership of the mailbox service. [September 26]] The China Youth Network Association, under the supervision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, established a gaming professional committee and decided to establish a Chinese Youth National Game Players Club in the next year to lay the groundwork for the implementation of a real-name system in online games. Base.

In February 2005, the Ministry of Information Industry, together with relevant departments, required all website sponsors in the country to register through IDCs and ISPs that provide access, hosting, and content services for the website, or log in to the Ministry of Information Industry to register. The website is self-registered. Regardless of whether it is a corporate or institutional website or a personal website, a valid ID number must be provided when filing. The Communications Administration will temporarily close websites that have not reported relevant information to the filing management system as of 24:00 on June 30, and notify relevant access service providers to temporarily suspend their access services. The relevant person in charge of the Telecommunications Administration of the Ministry of Information Industry urges temporarily closed websites to complete the registration procedures before 24:00 on July 10, otherwise they will be closed.

The "Opinions on Further Strengthening Campus Network Management of Colleges and Universities" issued by the Ministry of Education of China in 2004 clearly proposed the implementation of a real-name system on the college education network, and became an important basis for the Ministry of Education of China to review Chinese colleges and universities. . By March 2005, a group of major university BBSs, led by Tsinghua University Shuimu Tsinghua BBS, had transformed into real-name on-campus communication platforms only.

On July 20, 2005, Tencent, China's largest instant messaging company, issued an announcement stating that in accordance with the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau's "Notice on Carrying out Clean-up and Rectification of Online Public Information Service Sites", it would cooperate with relevant Chinese authorities. The department organized the online public information services carried out by Tencent and carried out real-name registration of QQ group creators and administrators. At this time, the media happened to be reporting on the situation of South Korea's online real-name system, so Tencent's move was widely regarded as "the prelude to China's comprehensive implementation of the online real-name system."

On July 22, 2005, Xinhuanet stated that from July 22 to the end of September, the Shenzhen police in China will carry out a three-month cleanup and rectification of online public information service venues. Among them, the police will register BBS and BBS moderators with their real names and verify their ID numbers. On August 5, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Information Industry jointly issued "Several Opinions on the Development and Management of Online Games." The opinion draft is called "Monster Killing and Leveling to Prevent Minors from Indulging in Online Games" and requires that "PK leveling games (which rely on PK to improve levels) should log in through ID cards, implement a real-name game system, and deny minors login." Enter".

Controversy

Supporters believe that "the most attractive aspect of the Internet is not its anonymity, but that communication is more convenient and faster." Some people also believe that real names will help eliminate all kinds of junk information on the Internet, increase the credibility of information and trust among netizens, and "create a more harmonious Internet culture."

Opponents believe that "the charm of the Internet lies in its "anonymity". Only on the Internet can everyone express their opinions freely. As for anonymous slander or illegal speech, it can be solved through technical means." Many People cited the title of a 1993 New Yorker cartoon, "On the Internet, No One Knows You're a Dog," as the reason for their objection.

Some people also think that there should be "dualism". "Real-name system can be required on some large and formal websites to increase the credibility of information; some small forums can not require it, leaving everyone free." Some people believe that due to the trend of social diversification and the openness of the Internet, the Internet real-name system itself is difficult to adapt to the Internet era, and thus has no operability and becomes a mere formality. In fact, it is difficult to achieve true real-name identification in reality. Take the real name of Internet cafes as an example. In order to avoid the trouble of entering user information for each new user, Internet cafe operators often use some registered IC cards in advance as "temporary" cards for users to use. Another example is the real-name registration of the QQ group. In fact, you only need to choose one of the three inputs: email, ID number and mobile phone number. Due to the existence of a large number of free email services and anonymous mobile phone card services, this kind of registration is actually also In vain.