New Chinese Rule Requires Real Names Online

crimeandpunishment writes "According to a human rights group, a leading Chinese Internet regulator is calling for new rules requiring people to use their real names online and when buying mobile phones. New York-based 'Human Rights in China' says it has obtained the complete text of a speech Wang Chen, director of the State Council Information Office, made in April, and they quote him as saying 'We will make the Internet real name system a reality as soon as possible.'"

Comments

It's being done in the US too

[SquarePixel]

new rules requiring people to use their real names -- when buying mobile phones

Just like Chinese, this is required by Apple too. They say it's so that you cannot buy multiple phones, but you still are required to give them your real name when you want to buy a phone. You are only allowed to buy a device with a credit card and they will record your name and phone IMEI.

The trend in the US seems to be going strongly towards using real names too. Theres Facebook and there just was that Blizzard Forum incident. So it's not really nothing new, but it is just an another "china and communism is bad"-story when pretty much the same is done in the US.

Re:It's being done in the US too

[ScrewMaster]

but it is just an another "china and communism is bad"-story when pretty much the same is done in the US.

Regardless, two wrongs still don't make a right.

Re:It's being done in the US too

[interval1066]

"but it is just an another "china and communism is bad"-story when pretty much the same is done in the US."

But its not being implemented at the behest of the US Government. Apparently, its not in China either, yet, but; the comments by this Wang Chen of the State Council Information Office would appear to indicate that it will be, very soon. I do not have to (and I do not) use Apple products or Facebook, and I have access to all the digital services I need. The policies of those services are not governmental policies. Big difference that you seem to be ignoring.

Not actually done, just a proposal

[Meshach]

From TFA:

A leading Chinese Internet regulator has vowed to reduce anonymity in China's portion of cyberspace, calling for new rules to require people to use their real names when buying a mobile phone or going online, according to a human rights group

It looks like some people want that to be the law, not that it is the law.

Re:Does this really do a lot of good?

[_Sprocket_]

Any guess on how many people share the name "Wang Chen" in all of China? Chances are most people could use their real name and still remain relatively anonymous.

Certain pieces of information are key nodes that link other clusters of information. You're right in so far as a name itself may not be unique and if given nothing but that piece of information, it'd be hard to single out and individual. But real names are very rarely isolated like that. There is usually a entire clusters of information around a name. And this rule would simply ensure that those clusters stay attached to any given individual (or at least - harder to isolate).

Re:Does this really do a lot of good?

[LambdaWolf]

Every child born will also be assigned a permanent unique sequential code, in the form of a UUID, including a series of digits that represent the time of birth/registration, and a series of digits that represent the locality of birth, as well as a sequential serial number.

And then all the kids with 6-digit UUIDs will scoff at the newcomers with 7-digit UUIDs...

Re:Why do you need to be anonymous at all?

[inviolet]

Although I never agreed with totality control, from sometime ago to this date, I started to change my mind about anonymous everything. I really started to suspect that the most interested parties are criminals. Well, as Google said, if you don't have anything to hide, why are you so afraid of not being anonymous at all? I can't see the point.

Because sometimes, society is mistaken about what it considers to be wrong. In that situation, which in my opinion is very very common, privacy allows you to act morally.

Recent examples come to mind:

• Be a Catholic in England
• Be a Protestant in England
• Be an atheist in many countries
• Spank your kids
• Teach your kids evolution
• Be gay
• Be Jewish in Mexico or Germany
• Discuss any of that stuff on the internet

Re:Does this really do a lot of good?

[slick7]

I bet there'll be a lot of names like Yin Dao Yan, Qian Lie Xie, Wei Shen Jing, and Ji Ba Mao.

There are so many Wings and Wongs in China, it is very likely to Wing a Wong number.
It had to be said.

Re:Why do you need to be anonymous at all?

[NetSettler]

• It may also be necessary for the personal safety of people who are being stalked, doing whistleblowing, or even just dating and wanting to chat without committing.
• It can be necessary to express any unpopular political opinion. Note that popular opinions require no protection but that if we assume that what's popular never changes we can just have one vote and then be done and never vote again. All political change begins as a minority viewpoint. For example, labor organization is more easily suppressed if one can keep the organization from ever happening. The movement to stop a war might start small.
• For some public figures, it allows the freedom to relax and speak without having their political motives challenged or their well-known credentials inappropriately applied since their voice is not as loud as when it is their well-known self, and since anonymous speech is evaluated for the worth of the statement rather than for who said it.
• It allows the underappreciated option of having an opinion you might later want to change without being quoted for life.
• It allows one to perform an act like shopping without having marketers of the future be able to log the action as a sign of potential interest.
• On juries (and in paper review for refereed scientific and technical journals, for that matter), anonymous voting is considered a way of encouraging frankness and honesty.
• In voting for politicians and political initiatives, it is considered a way to assure that votes are hard to buy or force because compliance with an improper promise or attempted coercion is not possible to track.
• Certain people will not approach a help desk for things like medical care, contemplating suicide, or other issues if they don't believe it's anonymous.
• Some people are just shy and prefer to speak anonymously.
• Some religions teach that it's more humble to contribute money, time, energy, etc.) anonymously, not drawing attention to self.