China requires Internet users to register names

[NUWORLD]

Didn't China already sensor there internet?

China requires Internet users to register names

 

 

BEIJING (AP) - China's government tightened Internet controls Friday with approval of a law that requires users to register their names after a flood of online complaints about official abuses rattled Communist Party leaders.

 

Authorities say the law will strengthen protections for personal information. But it also is likely to curtail the Internet's status as a forum to complain about the government or publicize corruption.

"Their intention is very clear: It is to take back that bit of space for public opinion, that freedom of speech hundreds of millions of Chinese Internet users have strived for," said Murong Xuecun, a prominent Chinese writer.

 

The rules approved by China's national legislature highlight the chronic tension between the ruling Communist Party's desire to reap technology's benefits and its insistence on controlling information.

 

Beijing encourages Web use for business and education but tries to block material deemed subversive or obscene. It has steadily stepped up censorship, especially after social media played a role in protests that brought down governments in Egypt and Tunisia.

 

The latest measure requires users to provide their real names and other identifying information when they register with access providers or post information publicly.

"This is needed for the healthy development of the Internet," said Li Fei, deputy director of the legislature's Legal Work Committee, at a news conference.

Li rejected complaints that the public will be deprived of a forum that has been used to expose misconduct.

 

"The country's constitution protects citizens' rights in supervising and criticizing the state and government officials' behavior," Li said.

 

The measure comes amid reports that Beijing might be disrupting use of software that allows Web surfers to see sites abroad that are blocked by its extensive filters.

At the same time, regulators have proposed rules that would bar foreign companies from distributing books, news, music and other material online in China.

 

The government has given no indication how it will deal with the technical challenge of registering the more than 500 million Chinese who use the Internet.

 

Microblog operators, two of which say they have more than 300 million users each, were ordered last year to confirm the identities of users but acknowledge they have yet to complete that task.

The main ruling party newspaper, People's Daily, has called weeks for tighter Internet controls, saying rumors spread online have harmed the public.

The secretive ruling party is uneasy about the public's eagerness to discuss politics and sensitive issues online despite threats of punishment.

 

In March, authorities scrambled to squelch online rumors about a possible coup amid a political crisis that led to the downfall of a prominent party figure, Bo Xilai, ahead of the party's fall leadership transition. A dozen websites were closed and six people detained.

 

This week, 70 prominent Chinese scholars and lawyers circulated an online petition this week appealing for free speech, independent courts and for the ruling party to encourage private enterprise.

Communist leaders who see the Internet as a promising source of economic growth were slow to enforce the same level of control they impose on movies, books and other media, apparently for fear of hurting e-commerce and other fledgling online businesses.

 

Until recently, Web surfers could post anonymous comments online or on microblogs.

That gave ordinary Chinese a unique opportunity to express themselves to a public audience in a society where newspapers, television and other media all are state-controlled. Some of the most popular microbloggers have millions of readers.

 

It also made the Internet a clearinghouse for accusations of official misconduct.

 

A local party official in China's southwest was fired in November after scenes from a videotape of him having sex with a young woman spread quickly on websites.

Web surfers can circumvent filters by using virtual private networks - encryption software that is used by companies for financial data and other sensitive information. But VPN users say disruptions began in 2011 and are increasing, suggesting regulators are trying to block encrypted traffic.

 

 

RW - link to original article

Edited December 29, 2012 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Fu Lai]

IMO, good. "The latest measure requires users to provide their real names and other identifying information when they register with access providers or post information publicly." So what? Doing otherwise leaves the door open for abuse from people and groups pushing an agenda. We know this from the USA. Give everyone their own voice, not a thousand fake voices, and it is more fair. Once again China leads the way.

Edited December 29, 2012 by Fu Lai (see edit history)

[Randy W]

But it also is likely to curtail the Internet's status as a forum to complain about the government or publicize corruption.

- It's also likely to curtail their ability to monitor and control the "free speech". I can't see that requiring names will be anything but counter-productive for them.

[Fu Lai]

But it also is likely to curtail the Internet's status as a forum to complain about the government or publicize corruption.

- It's also likely to curtail their ability to monitor and control the "free speech". I can't see that requiring names will be anything but counter-productive for them.

IMO Chinese authorities just want to stop the faceless insurrection. Everybody complains about corruption and government but some groups have another agenda. Complaining about the government and publicizing corruption is normal and not feared much here. No more than in the USA.

[Fu Lai]

Didn't China already sensor there internet?

You mean "Hasn't China already censored their Internet"? Yes, similar to how the USA does. Edited December 29, 2012 by Fu Lai (see edit history)

[Fu Lai]

More typical China bashing:

 

 

 

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - China unveiled tighter Internet controls on Friday, legalizing the deletion of posts or pages which are deemed to contain "illegal" information and requiring service providers to hand over such information to the authorities for punishment.

 

The rules signal that the new leadership headed by Communist Party chief Xi Jinping will continue muzzling the often scathing, raucous online chatter in a country where the Internet offers a rare opportunity for debate.

 

The new regulations, announced by the official Xinhua news agency, also require Internet users to register with their real names when signing up with network providers, though, in reality, this already happens.

 

Chinese authorities and Internet companies such as Sina Corp have long since closely monitored and censored what people say online, but the government has now put measures such as deleting posts into law.

 

"Service providers are required to instantly stop the transmission of illegal information once it is spotted and take relevant measures, including removing the information and saving records, before reporting to supervisory authorities," the rules state.

 

The restrictions follow a series of corruption scandals amongst lower-level officials exposed by Internet users, something the government has said it is trying to encourage.

 

Li Fei, deputy head of parliament's legislative affairs committee, said the new rules did not mean people needed to worry about being unable to report corruption online. But he added a warning too.

 

"When people exercise their rights, including the right to use the Internet, they must do so in accordance with the law and constitution, and not harm the legal rights of the state, society ... or other citizens," he told a news conference.

 

Chinese Internet users already cope with extensive censorship measures, especially over politically sensitive topics like human rights and elite politics, and popular foreign sites Facebook, Twitter and Google-owned YouTube are blocked.

 

Earlier this year, the government began forcing users of Sina's wildly successful Weibo microblogging platform to register their real names.

The new rules were quickly condemned by some Weibo users.

 

"So now they are getting Weibo to help in keeping records and reporting it to authorities. Is this the freedom of expression we are promised in the constitution?" complained one user.

 

"We should resolutely oppose such a covert means to interfere with Internet freedom," wrote another.

 

The government says tighter monitoring of the Internet is needed to prevent people making malicious and anonymous accusations online, disseminating pornography and spreading panic with unfounded rumors, pointing out that many other countries already have such rules.

 

Despite periodic calls for political reform, the party has shown no sign of loosening its grip on power and brooks no dissent to its authority.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Sally Huang; Editing by Nick Macfie)

 

Thanks Ben and Sally, have a happy monitored new year. We wouldn't want to have hundreds of your friends posting as one person now, would we?

[amberjack1234]

Another newbie to China. We all went through this faze but after 8-10 years we old timers all know better now. Stick with it and come back and post how you feel then.

 

Larry

[tsap seui]

Shucks, I just take it for granted, if I post something subversive to my government, they can easily trace me back to my name...and beyond. So what if I had to actually register my name to play on the internet....the powers to be in the US already know it if they cared to.

 

I'm not complainin', but doesn't big brother have control over my phones and internet communications already? And much more than that? At the punch of a computer button they can know darn near everything about me...my spending habits, my travels, etc...darn near everything, well maybe not the color of my stool this morning.

 

Maybe I'm alone here but I've lived most of my adult life with the feeling that there wasn't much BB didn't know about me. And I don't care about my "loss of privacy"....when pray tell did I ever have it? Especially since the advent of computers.

 

I've got nothing to hide anymore and damned lucky with my youthful actions BC (before computers). Only folks with something to hide understand how to go underground or off the grid anyhow, be it in real life or on the internet.

 

Funny thing, back with all the paperwork involved with immigration BS I used to laugh and wonder why they didn't fill in all the blanks for me? I figgered I was being punished for something with all the paperwork, or maybe they were trying to see if I was honest with my answers. And why would a VO ask my wife how many times I went to Chiner? A click on the computer would tell them how many times I went and how long I stayed.

 

No sir, it's no big deal to pony up your name (to me) to play on a computer. They already know it. At least the Chinertuckians are being honest and upfront about it by asking for your name.

 

tsap seui

 

 

Cynical? Nah, jes realistic

[credzba]

Shucks, I just take it for granted, if I post something subversive to my government, they can easily trace me back to my name...and beyond. So what if I had to actually register my name to play on the internet....the powers to be in the US already know it if they cared to.

 

I'm not complainin', but doesn't big brother have control over my phones and internet communications already? And much more than that? At the punch of a computer button they can know darn near everything about me...my spending habits, my travels, etc...darn near everything, well maybe not the color of my stool this morning.

 

Maybe I'm alone here but I've lived most of my adult life with the feeling that there wasn't much BB didn't know about me. And I don't care about my "loss of privacy"....when pray tell did I ever have it? Especially since the advent of computers.

 

I've got nothing to hide anymore and damned lucky with my youthful actions BC (before computers). Only folks with something to hide understand how to go underground or off the grid anyhow, be it in real life or on the internet.

 

Funny thing, back with all the paperwork involved with immigration BS I used to laugh and wonder why they didn't fill in all the blanks for me? I figgered I was being punished for something with all the paperwork, or maybe they were trying to see if I was honest with my answers. And why would a VO ask my wife how many times I went to Chiner? A click on the computer would tell them how many times I went and how long I stayed.

 

No sir, it's no big deal to pony up your name (to me) to play on a computer. They already know it. At least the Chinertuckians are being honest and upfront about it by asking for your name.

 

tsap seui

 

 

Cynical? Nah, jes realistic

 

I think your right Tsap, the fiction that you have anonymity on the internet is just that, a fiction.

American citizens ALREADY sign up with their real name for the internet.

When you pay your internet provider, they know who you are, what you internet address is, and what your doing with it.

 

Once... "a friend" needed to do something that he didn't want known.

I told him to use an identity clean PC, go to a coffee shop that doesn't require you to log in, and use their internet.

Pay for your coffee with cash.

That provides a little cover, but not much.

The same trick will work in China.

 

Hell, here on candle, one of the gear heads asked me once "Are you the Credzba with a 66 mustang with a radiator problem"?

He had no ultra secret identification power, just associated my words with another place he had seen a Credzba.

(Yes I AM the Credzba with a 66 Mustang, but I have fixed the radiator now )

The registering of your real name is more of a psychological game than a real threat.

 

On the other side of that argument though is it DOES induce a psychological self suppression by people, and in that can result in a form of censorship.

 

My opinion is never put in print anything you don't want people to know you said.

That is for internet or anywhere else.

[amberjack1234]

I have to agree with both of you but the difference is that in China you can go to prison, just disappear or a re-education camp if you say to much on the internet about something the CPC don't like. I think that if Ronny had been in China and a Chinese born citizen and had said the things about the CPC that he has said about the US government here on CFL he could have been in serious trouble. Ain't America wonderful even with our shortcomings? And now on top of all of that he enjoys such wonderful benefits cutesy Uncle Sam. I wonder what bennies he would have gotten from China if as a Chinese citizen he posted things like that on Chinese forums like this one.

 

I don't blame them for trying to be anonymous on the internet.

 

Like Ronny said "Cynical? Nah, jes realistic"

 

Larry

[NUWORLD]

Another newbie to China. We all went through this faze but after 8-10 years we old timers all know better now. Stick with it and come back and post how you feel then.

 

Larry

 

So very true!!

[NUWORLD]

Shucks, I just take it for granted, if I post something subversive to my government, they can easily trace me back to my name...and beyond. So what if I had to actually register my name to play on the internet....the powers to be in the US already know it if they cared to.

 

I'm not complainin', but doesn't big brother have control over my phones and internet communications already? And much more than that? At the punch of a computer button they can know darn near everything about me...my spending habits, my travels, etc...darn near everything, well maybe not the color of my stool this morning.

 

Maybe I'm alone here but I've lived most of my adult life with the feeling that there wasn't much BB didn't know about me. And I don't care about my "loss of privacy"....when pray tell did I ever have it? Especially since the advent of computers.

 

I've got nothing to hide anymore and damned lucky with my youthful actions BC (before computers). Only folks with something to hide understand how to go underground or off the grid anyhow, be it in real life or on the internet.

 

Funny thing, back with all the paperwork involved with immigration BS I used to laugh and wonder why they didn't fill in all the blanks for me? I figgered I was being punished for something with all the paperwork, or maybe they were trying to see if I was honest with my answers. And why would a VO ask my wife how many times I went to Chiner? A click on the computer would tell them how many times I went and how long I stayed.

 

No sir, it's no big deal to pony up your name (to me) to play on a computer. They already know it. At least the Chinertuckians are being honest and upfront about it by asking for your name.

 

tsap seui

 

 

Cynical? Nah, jes realistic

 

I think your right Tsap, the fiction that you have anonymity on the internet is just that, a fiction.

American citizens ALREADY sign up with their real name for the internet.

When you pay your internet provider, they know who you are, what you internet address is, and what your doing with it.

 

Once... "a friend" needed to do something that he didn't want known.

I told him to use an identity clean PC, go to a coffee shop that doesn't require you to log in, and use their internet.

Pay for your coffee with cash.

That provides a little cover, but not much.

The same trick will work in China.

 

Hell, here on candle, one of the gear heads asked me once "Are you the Credzba with a 66 mustang with a radiator problem"?

He had no ultra secret identification power, just associated my words with another place he had seen a Credzba.

(Yes I AM the Credzba with a 66 Mustang, but I have fixed the radiator now )

The registering of your real name is more of a psychological game than a real threat.

 

On the other side of that argument though is it DOES induce a psychological self suppression by people, and in that can result in a form of censorship.

 

My opinion is never put in print anything you don't want people to know you said.

That is for internet or anywhere else.

 

Brother tsap and Credzba both very good post and is what i was looking for in this discussion.

 

It seams as though no matter where we are in the would we are censored (Sensor for the ones that are checking spelling) and no matter what you/we do we are seen and heard.

It may be over the internet or as we walk down the street.

 

Just look around these days and we all see cameras looking down at us.

There at your work place and at every intersection we drive though.

 

Hell, We can't even fart with out everyone knowing about it and to top it off as tsap said, were being looked at even with our emails being sent and cell phone calls being monitored.

That's just in the U.S.that we know of.

 

We all know there are eyes in the sky and ears in the clouds/walls no matter where you/we are at any given time.

 

As others have said, I have nothing to hide and if big brother wants to look and listen?? I feel sorry for the ones on the other end, Why? because it is just another day in Nuworlds life.

I don't care if I'm at my home in the U.S. or at my home in China.

 

They can do as they please, For it's going to be a boring conversation while they read and or listen.

 

Mike

Edited December 30, 2012 by NUWORLD (see edit history)

[tsap seui]

:rotfl:/> Cuzin' Larry brings up a good point, I would have been murdered in China for saying what I've said. Thing is, dumb of a hillbilly as I am even I wouldn't tempt fate if I was Chinese and livin' over yonder. I knew what I was doing here. And, shoe on the other foot I would have known what I was doing to myself and family by saying that same sort of stuff over there. So I wouldn't say it. Simple

 

Not arguing, it is a different ballgame over there but it is THEIR ballgame. I am just not another American pointing my finger at another country for what they do. Nor am I complaining about the fact that I have absolutely no privacy on the internet or in any other aspect of my life here. I am and remain very comfortable with that. Even though I have been detained and treated like trash by a customs agent (using his authority under the guise of the two most terroristic words I can think of....Homeland Security) at an American airport for an hour and a half, all over speculation and conjecture, as well as a couple of other similar adventures with our powers to be. I have been red lined in their computer and seen how they can act when they want to.

 

I bowed down, kissed their asses, and played their game in each instance so I could go my way. I figured I was simply pulled out of the line of American men who go to China, they knew how many trips I had made and they knew the score wiht my wife. but I have seen the other side of America too many times. I no longer point fingers at other countries.

 

Live and let live. It is their country, we have more than enough right here at home to point our fingers at. I really can't think of much of anything the dern Chinese could do that we haven' t already done to our own people or are doing covertly now.

 

I love America, and yes, I am on Uncle Sams teat. On that teat for my agent orange heart and PTSD head because I took the propaganda to heart, volunteered and went off to fight for him. He is breast feeding me very well and I am thankful for that. But my eyes aren't closed while I suck that teat. I see how things are, my mind isn't dead. America isn't white, and China isn't black. We are both grey...in my eyes.

 

I just, apparently, go against the grain of many Americans, not so much on Candle where the men seem to be more worldly but especially on other BB's with American men who should know better. China isn't perfect, but who the hell are we to point our finger at them? Who said they must be like us? Who are we Americans to be so smug?

 

China is in change, it may be slow but it looks like they are much better off than even 20 years ago and that change snowball is picking up momentum each year. Heck, in one respect they are going to be just like us lucky American's....BROKE...and THEY are even holding a tremendous amount of OUR debt. :rotfl:/> We should be thankful to them.

 

We have many words that only a fool would type, say on a phone or in public, or print under our own names. I figure Zhang Wuhu has the same in his country...do so at your own risk, name or no name they know who you are.

 

tsap seui

 

I said this as my own feelings and life experiences. Not trying to change anyone

Edited December 30, 2012 by tsap seui (see edit history)

[amberjack1234]

I agree with 98% of what you have said. I remember very well the day that they pulled you into the back room at the airport and went over you with the rubber hose I still to this day think that they saw something on the computer that day that they didn't like. I still don't think that they were right with what they did to you.

 

Now about the finger pointing. I an not pointing my finger at them at all just merely making a statement about something that I don't think is right for the people of China. I know, I know that don't mean a pea in the dish to the CPC just making a discussion here. You are absolutely right the bottom line is it is none of our business. I do the same thing with the US government too just like you use to do. The difference is that I can do it here freely. In China folks of the CPC runs and controls everything. I know that you bought your lovely wife an apartment in China or should I say that you leased if for 70 years. I am sure you or I won't be around to renew a lease like that but your stepson might would be able to one day if he so desires if the laws were different. I am critical of the Chinese government, and so is my wife your wife may feel the same way in 6-10 years down the road, as there are many things that need to be changed and they will get around to it sooner or later but in the meantime why can't we have reasonable discussions about what we like and dislike about China and its present government just as we do here about America.

 

I love China and it's people, well most of them anyway. There are a few turds everywhere even here in the good ole USA.

 

Larry

[Fu Lai]

Another newbie to China. We all went through this faze but after 8-10 years we old timers all know better now. Stick with it and come back and post how you feel then. Larry

 

While I'm not a newbie to China I do think the Chinese government is no worse than the USA. OMG, we have to give our real name when we sign up for internet service!!! OMG WHAT A TRAVESTY! really it is amazing that this was not a rule to begin with, it is in the USA.

 

Shucks, I just take it for granted, if I post something subversive to my government, they can easily trace me back to my name...and beyond. So what if I had to actually register my name to play on the internet....the powers to be in the US already know it if they cared to....

 

Exactly