China Approves Network Real-name System

By staff reporter ZHANG WEN

POPULARIZATION of the Internet has without doubt facilitated huge improvements in peoples lives， but it has also spawned cybercrime and cyber-bullying. Consequently， the network real-name system， hailed as the solution to such undesirable phenomena， has been a focus of public attention and discussion. On February 4， the State Internet Information Office published the Internet User Account Name Management Regulations， （the regulations） which came into effect on March 1.

The regulations specify the management of Internet user account names， information service suppliers and their services， and user behavior. They stipulate that， according to the “background real name， foreground voluntary” principle， Internet information service suppliers require Internet information service users to undergo real identity information authentication before registering their accounts.

Although insiders acknowledge that the regulations do not amount to an entire network real-name system， they nevertheless signify the onset of overall popularization of this system.

Argument for the Real-name System

The network real-name system stems from Internet development. It was first proposed to cope with cybercrime， cyber-bullying and the ominously discordant cyberspace environment. A decade of debate about online real name authentication preceded publication of the regulations.

Professor Li Xiguang of Tsinghua University proposed during a talk on journalism reform in 2002 that the National Peoples Congress enact a law prohibiting the use of pseudonyms for online articles or opinions. In Prof. Lis view， anyone expressing opinions online should be held legally responsible as to do otherwise is irresponsible. He hence advocates publishing articles under real names.

The network real-name system has since been widely discussed among government departments and the lay public， and relevant departments of the central authorities and provincial governments have carried out policy trials.

The network real-name system has the obvious merits of dramatically reducing illegal and criminal behavior online and curbing Internet rumor-mongering and slander. It thus helps to create a harmonious and healthy cyberspace environment by refining netizens online behavior and protecting young adults from bullying and pornography. The system also improves e-business dealersintegrity and credibility and helps to establish a sound credit system by cracking down on copyright piracy and infringement.

Xie Youping， director of the Judicial and Procedural System Research Center of Fudan University， regards freedom of speech as a natural right of rich connotations that includes the freedom either to speak or to keep silent. In his view， the freedom to speak can be enacted under either a real name or a pseudonym， but this understanding applies to the real rather than virtual world.

“Taking into consideration the difference between the virtual and real worlds， whether or not netizens should be entitled to freedom of anonymous speech is debatable. Hidden pitfalls and dangers exist under the ethos of anonymous speech， whereas the real-name system could ensure a sound and healthy cyberspace environment. Freedom of anonymous speech， therefore， must be balanced against such other factors as state security， social order and peoples personal dignity，” Xie said. He went on， “The network real-name system is intended not to gag but to protect freedom of speech. Its introduction will not give the webmaster carte blanche as regards deleting posts， as that would be an infringement of peoples freedom of speech. Under the real-name system， the webmasters sole function is to report publication of rumors to the judicial authority， which then deals with the matter.”

Drawbacks

There are， however， cons as well as pros to the network real-name system.

First， the real-name system could escalate website attacks that result in greater leakage of personal information， so triggering even worse cybercrime. South Korea serves as a perfect example for opponents of the system. As the first country to advance comprehensively the network real-name system， South Korea witnessed after its introduction a drop in average online forum participation from 2，585 to 737. Worse still， South Koreas major websites became principal targets for hacker attacks and consequently large-scale personal information leakage， rocking the foundation of the countrys network realname system. Eventually the South Korean government gave up on the system and in 2012， just four years after implementation， started dismantling it.

The network real-name system could also prejudice human rights issues. Certain netizens believe that， according to the ideology of personal freedom， they have the right to use either their real names or pseudonyms as they choose. The real-name system could also block channels that enable public supervision of the government and expressions of public dissatisfaction. One main example of the realname systems potentially detrimental effect occurred on November 23， 2010. A young man named Wang Peng from Gansu Province was arrested after reporting to the authorities his classmates fraudulent passing of the civil service examination through his high-ranking parents connections. Although Wang was later acquitted of the baseless charge， the matter became a main reason why a number of netizens oppose– even fear – the real-name system. Coupled with the overwhelming public power that more privileged citizens wield， the real-name system， in precluding any discretion， intensifies the vulnerability of individuals who do not have connections.

Associate Professor Shao Zhize of Zhejiang University holds that protecting cyberspace security necessitates giving priority to the protection of the rights and interests of netizens who express their opinions online. Cyberspace serves as an effective release valve through which to diffuse contradictions and vent different voices which the network real-name system could impede， so exacerbating social discordancy.

It must be acknowledged that the waning vibrancy of microblogs is attributable to introduction of the realname system. As microbloggers must now be prepared to take the consequences for anything they say， it constitutes a hugely inhibiting factor.

Make the Virtual World Real

As of December 2014， Chinas netizen population reached 649 million， and the Internet popularization rate stood at 47.9 percent. Moreover， 54.5 percent of netizens expressed trust in information obtained from the Internet， as compared with 35.1 percent in 2007.

Over the past years， netizens have become used to a virtual world wherein they can exist under another identity. They therefore need time to adapt to the real-name system. Cyber credibility is fast becoming an important facet of social credibility， and a fundamental social foundation for further development of e-business and Internet finance. The new regulations are hence expected to enhance netizens trust in cyberspace and improve online service providers and Internet supervision departmentsawareness of the importance of protecting their personal information， as well as rights and interests.