简体中文
The Cyberspace Administration of China recently announced two new regulations, which will be implemented in October, focused on boosting Internet security and responsibility.
The move comes just three months after the country’s first-ever cybersecurity law took effect on June 1.
Netizens are now required to register their real names before they post any comments on Chinese websites and social media platforms. It will cover all the online forums and communities.
"It is not new to ask for real-name registration on the Internet, but this time, this regulation emphasizes on ensuring the safety of the net content,” said Wu Jun, vice researcher of Institute of Law of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “Most websites will need the user's mobile phone number as verification. Because the mobile phone number contains the user's personal information."
The other regulation covers group chats in instant messaging apps.
Group chat administrators, who build their chat groups, are now required to take full responsibility for the management of their groups.
This covers platforms such as Baidu’s Tieba, Alibaba’s Alipay chat, Tencent’s WeChat and QQ, and Sina’s Weibo. With the implementation of these new rules, netizens might think twice before they post any irresponsible comments online.
But on the other hand, there are concerns regarding the protection and privacy of personal information.
“Not all online forums and communities are capable of protecting the users' personal information. For those start-up websites, they might not have the extra manpower and funding to guarantee privacy. The personal information stored on these websites might be given away," said Wu.
Can these rules really strengthen safety on the Internet? Or does it open a can of worms with regards to the privacy of personal information? These rules might not be perfect, but for now, they're a step forward in ensuring personal responsibility and accountability.
(CGTN)
