CHINA Beijing tightens internet censorship

The new rules will go into effect in August. Web service providers are required to display the IP addresses of users and the geographic location of those who publish online. Tough restrictions also apply to data circulating abroad. China’s largest academic journal database is under surveillance by state security services.

Rome () – The Chinese authorities have published new rules on Internet censorship that aim to reveal the identity of users and prevent the flow of data out of China. These are the latest efforts being made by the government to tighten control of the digital sphere in the name of state security.

A new regulation from the Cyberspace Administration requires web users to provide their true personal information when registering accounts for web services, including employment occupation. Internet service providers, for their part, must reveal users’ IP addresses. When registering new accounts that create content in specific sectors such as economy, education, medical and legal services, users must provide professional certificates. The new legislation will come into force in August.

The Chinese Administration for Cyberspace oversees Internet affairs, propaganda, and censorship, and owns the China Internet Investment Fund, which has stakes in major technology companies in sectors such as digital infrastructure, social media, artificial intelligence, big data etc.

With the slowdown in national growth, the Chinese authorities have tightened the censorship of economic information, fearing that these issues could have an impact on social stability. The pessimistic analyzes and forecasts of economists are subject to controls. Since May, the main Chinese social networks have begun to show the geographical position of users in this area.

To circumvent censorship, Chinese netizens often use English typos, homonyms, symbols, and letters in sensitive posts. The new regulations also prohibit this type of conduct.

Real-name registration for social media has been around for years, and users are required to provide their ID number and phone number to sign up for a new account.

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has created an online portal for users to check how many social accounts are associated with their phone number and ID number. The 11 most used apps in China are currently already connected to the system and other services are expected to follow suit. The introduction of the portal indicates that the authorities can close all the social accounts of a user in one go.

Another rule states that web service providers that transfer users’ personal information or “sensitive data” abroad must report it to the government for a security assessment. The regulation does not define the scope of “important data”. According to analysts, the measure represents a new challenge for multinationals, which will have to face additional costs for data storage in China.

Since last year, China has already tightened restrictions on domestic companies wishing to list on a foreign stock exchange. This is because foreign companies listed on Wall Street are required to disclose more information to meet account verification requirements. For example, due to a state security investigation, popular Chinese carpooling service Didi has delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.

The academic sector is also being subjected to state security inspections. Since the end of June, China’s largest academic publication database, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, has been under observation by the Cyberspace Administration because it contains important data on key industries and cutting-edge technologies.