Chinese users posting comments online must register real names
From October, internet companies will have to verify the identities of users before they can post anything on their platforms
Chinese internet users will have to register their real names before they can post comments online from October, the cyberspace regulator said on Friday.
The new rule is Beijing’s latest move in a campaign to tighten control of the internet after it enacted sweeping cybersecurity legislation in June.
The Cyberspace Administration of China said in a notice about the regulation that online comments had “given rise to the dissemination of false rumours, foul language and illegal information”.
From October 1, internet and tech companies will have to verify the real identities of all registered users before they can post anything on their platforms.
This will apply to all websites, smartphone applications, interactive communication platforms and “any other communication platform that features news or with the function to mobilise society”, the notice said.
Any comments on news stories will also have to be reviewed by the website operator before they can appear online, it said, without elaborating.