Chinese Regime Sends Secret Order to Collect Netizen Data

The New York Times reported September 5th that the Chinese regime had given a secret order to all news websites in China in late July. It requires users to log in with their real identities when they post comments.

It’s a move web-users strongly oppose.

Major Chinese web portals like Sina and Netease already started to make new users use their real identities in early August—without giving any official notice of a change.

In many countries this might not be a problem. But in China, speaking one’s mind could land a person in prison. And China has the largest Internet policing system in the world.

One Chinese Twitter user known as amoiist found out the hard way. Police arrested him in July for publicizing a rape case allegedly connected to officials in Fujian Province.

Amoiist had used an alias name on his Twitter page—but police were still able to identify and locate him. The order that requires website users to use their real identities can only make it even easier for police to track down dissidents.

Authorities claim the goal is to foster greater “social responsibility” and “civility” on the net. Yet they clearly still saw the need to issue the order in secret.

Critics say the regulation is a violation of free speech and privacy—and it shows how China is widening state supervision of the Internet.

(NTDTV)