[1] The origin of the proposed ban on anonymity in mainland China is generally believed to be the proposal made by Li Xiguang, a journalism professor at Tsinghua University, in 2002, when he talked about journalism reform in the South, that "the Chinese National People's Congress should ban anyone from being anonymous online".
Afterwards, Li Xiguang himself said that he had lost interest in the topic of real names on the Internet, and that "banning online anonymity is very unrealistic and not legally or technically feasible.
On March 16, 2012, Sina, Sohu, NetEase and Tencent officially implemented the real name system for microblogs.
In January 2015, the Cyberspace Administration of China announced that it would fully promote the real name registration system within that year.
Article 24 of the Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China, adopted on November 7, 2016, provides that "network operators shall require users to provide real identity information when signing agreements with users or confirming the provision of services for network access, domain name registration services, and network entry procedures for fixed and mobile telephones, or providing information dissemination and instant messaging services for users.
In October 2006, the Ministry of Information Industry of the People's Republic of China proposed to implement a real-name system for blogs, which aroused great opposition online.
[29] On April 13, 2010, the People's Daily published an op-ed: Lin Yongqing: The Argument of the Pros and Cons of the Real-Name System.
[30] On March 16, 2012, Sina, Sohu, Netease, and Tencent Weibo officially implemented the real-name system for microblogs.
[1] On March 29, 2013, the General Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China "Notice on the Implementation of the State Council Institutional Reform and Functional Transformation Program", in which "tasks to be completed in 2014", Article 13 reads "the introduction and implementation of information network real name registration system.
[34] In May 2016, Alipay implemented a real-name system in response to strict regulation by relevant authorities, but it was subsequently pushed back to July 1.
",[35][36] and accounts can no longer be registered with an email address, and you must use a Chinese cell phone number to complete registration.
[55] Opponents argue the potential for a chilling effect, with many believing that "the charm of the Internet lies in anonymity", and that the system restricts the freedom of expression of users for fear of real-world consequences.
[56] Supporters point to the nature of the Internet as a vessel for more efficient communication rather than unrestricted expression, arguing that a lower rate of spam, fraud, and other malicious content fosters a more credible online environment.
[56] Privacy concerns are also commonly raised, including the exacerbated implications of a potential data breach and ease of identity theft or targeted fraud.