China to tighten Internet
control with new rules
AFP – 18 hours ago
China said Thursday it
planned to extend nationwide a requirement for microblog users to register with
their real names as part of a sweeping update of rules governing the Internet.
The Ministry of Industry
and Information Technology said the revision of rules originally introduced in
2000 aimed to keep pace with change and protect state security, according to a
statement posted on its website.
"Many new situations
have arisen, (we) are facing new problems," said the ministry, which
regulates the industry.
It added the new rules
aimed to "promote healthy, orderly development of the Internet, protect
state security and public interest".
With more than half a
billion Chinese now online, authorities are concerned about the power of the
Internet to influence public opinion in a country that maintains tight controls
on its traditional media outlets.
Beijing regularly blocks
Internet searches under a vast online censorship system known as the Great
Firewall of China, but the growing popularity of microblogs similar to Twitter
has posed a new challenge.
Under the draft rules,
those using Internet chat forums, blogs and microblogs known as
"weibo" will have to register with their real names.
Previously, only microblog
users in five cities -- the capital Beijing, the commercial hub of Shanghai,
the northern port city of Tianjin and the southern cities of Guangzhou and
Shenzhen -- were required to do so under a trial that started last December.
In the past, users had
been able to set up microblog accounts under assumed names, making it more
difficult for authorities to track them down, and allowing them to set up new
accounts if existing ones were shut down.
Microblog users criticised
the proposed rules, which are open to public consultation for one month.
"More people are
speaking the truth on microblogs, so (the government) wants real-name
registration to make it easier to arrest them. This is actually a demonstration
of their fear," Changsha Ming Ming said.
Another, who gave the name
orcl1158, said: "It's stricter, control and regulation are
everywhere."
The rules broaden the
definition of Internet services, saying online forums, blogs and microblogs
must receive government approval, beyond just websites.
The guidelines also
require Internet service providers to save keep records of postings and users'
information for one year, up from the previous six months, citing the need to
crack down on Internet crime.
China's best-known microblogging
site, run by Internet giant Sina, last month unveiled new conditions punishing
those who post comments deemed offensive, as it comes under government pressure
to clamp down on bloggers.
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