Internet real-name system in China

Proposals to ban anonymity 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". He argued that the Internet should be strictly protected by copyright and intellectual property rights, and that "at the same time, online writing should be legally responsible," and that "including traditional media, we should promote the use of real names, not pseudonyms... publishing under pseudonyms is irresponsible to the public." His remarks caused an uproar on the Internet and became known as the "Li Xiguang incident". Although there was a period of heated debate, no corresponding measures were subsequently introduced and the matter was left unresolved. 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." In August 2008, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) formally responded to the proposed legislation on the real-name system, which was not passed, but stated that "realizing the management of limited real-name network" would be the direction of the future healthy development of the Internet. On December 28, 2012, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) adopted the Decision on Strengthening Network Information Protection. The decision requires service providers to require users to provide identity information when they obtain or use services including phone services, internet access, posting on social media. The State Council's institutional reform plan, released on March 29, 2013, mandated that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and the Ministry of Public Security introduce and implement a real name registration system by July 2014. On November 6, 2014, the State Internet Information Office held a special meeting on the management of follow-up comments and required 29 websites to sign the "Commitment to Self-Discipline Management of Follow-up Comments. The third article of the "Commitment", "insisting that users register their accounts with real identity information", is considered to require the mandatory use of real-name accounts to post comments. However, the plan was delayed. In January 2015, the Cyberspace Administration of China announced that it would fully promote the real name registration system within that year. In February 2015, the Cyberspace Administration of China introduced Provisions on the Administration of Account Names of Internet Users. Article 5 of these provisions requires internet information service providers to ensure that users register accounts after undergoing real identity information authentication. It requires that users of blogs, microblogs, instant-messaging services, online discussion forums, news comment sections and related services register with their real names; users are still allowed to select their own usernames and avatars as long as they do not involve "illegal or unhealthy" content. This effectively imposed real name policies on all internet services in China. 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. If users do not provide real identity information, the network operator shall not provide relevant services for them." This is the first time in China that the real-name system in was codified in the form of a law. On August 25, 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China announced the Regulations on the Administration of Internet Follow-Up Commenting Services, which came into effect on October 1, 2017. The regulations establish a real-name system for internet platforms by requiring websites operators and service providers to request and verify real names and other personal information from users when they register. The regulations also stipulate that websites shall not provide commenting services to users without real-name authentication, and user comments on news information shall be reviewed before publication. On September 1, 2017, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that the Internet Domain Name Management Measures, which came into effect on November 1, 2017. On September 7, 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued the Regulations on the Administration of Internet Group Information Services, which came into effect on October 8, 2017. On July 26, 2024, the Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration of China issued the "National Network Identity Authentication Public Service Management Measures (Draft for Comments)", proposing the national online identity authentication system. On May 23, 2025, the Ministry of Public Security, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Health Commission, the National Radio and Television Administration and other six departments jointly announced the National Internet Identity Authentication Public Service Management Measures, which came into effect on July 15. In English, the title of the Measures would translate to "National Online Identify Verification Service Administrative Procedures". These procedures establish a government platform that issues alphanumeric unique identifiers and authentication credentials that link to a user's verified identity without exposing raw identity data to private services. Under the procedures, online service providers that connect to the system may rely on these identifiers to meet identity verification requirements and, for users who choose this option, may not request additional raw identity data unless legally required or with express user consent. Where the law requires only that a user's identity be verified and not that identification document details be stored, the public service provides platforms with a verification confirmation rather than transmitting the user's identity information. The draft Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law was released to the public for comments by the Ministry of Public Security on 31 January 2026. The Chapter II of the law, titled the Management of Basic Network Resources, mainly deals with the Internet real-name system. Articles 11, 12 and 13 of the law lays out prohibited user conduct, including the usage fake IDs to open accounts or sharing network and phone connections, payment methods, information-sharing accounts, and web hosting. These conducts are listed as administrative violations, with punishments including fines and possible detention of up to 15 days. Agencies are also authorized to blacklist offending individuals or organizations and require service providers to restrict blacklisted users’ access to services. Articles 16 and 17 mandate additional verification where there is irregular account activity, and allows government agencies to request either new verification of specific accounts or a general increase in reverification frequency for areas or times of high criminal activity. It states that users who fail verification may potentially face restricted or terminated functionality, though they are entitled to automatic review, with services restored once verification is successfully completed. ==Status==