China has begun discussing the new draft law, which requires mandatory identification of Internet users. According to the authorities, it will significantly reduce the number of offenses such as defamation and insults on forums.
The draft law stipulates that providers must verify the status of the passport when concluding a contract with the subscriber. The information will be used to better identify the user on each site visited. The new rules will affect all providers, including telephone network operators, ADSL providers and mobile network operators. Unfortunately, the Chinese press does not always provide accurate information about how the “online passport” works. Probably, each provider will have to provide the user with a kind of digital certificate, which will be mandatory to connect to each site.
“The only way to make our web healthier, more cultural and more secure” – said a representative of the Chinese Communist Party, in a comment on an article in the People’s Daily, the national newspaper.
Some experts believe that the new rules aim to improve Internet censorship and control of dissent, including the repression of opposition bloggers, who have so far been protected by anonymity.
A few months ago, the Chinese government forced the company Sina to change the registration system on the popular microblogging site “Weibo” (the American equivalent of Twitter), so that all users must now provide their first and last name when registering. Probably, the problem of “defamation and disinformation” is still not resolved, since passport data cannot always be verified. Perhaps the new law aims to correct this gap.
China has blocked Western sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others. The authorities are struggling to control users of communication companies.
