China to Implement National Internet ID System Next Month... Concerns Grow Over Strengthened Online Controls

Introduction of "Internet Number" and "Internet Identity Authentication"
Crackdown on Online Content Harmful to Minors

China is set to implement a national internet identification system, a separate ID for use online, starting next month. On the 20th (local time), CNN in the United States reported that concerns are growing over strengthened online controls.

According to CNN, six Chinese government ministries, including the Ministry of Public Security, recently announced that the "Administrative Measures for National Internet Identity Authentication Public Services" will take effect from the 15th of next month. This plan, consisting of 16 articles, introduces an "internet number"?an online resident registration number composed of letters and numbers?and "internet identity authentication" as its core features. This means that the state will directly handle personal identity authentication, a task previously managed by internet companies.

China claims that this system will "greatly reduce the risk of citizens' personal data leaks and support the healthy and orderly development of the digital economy." A Ministry of Public Security official explained that the goal is to provide individuals with a safe, convenient, and efficient means of identity verification to support the development of the digital economy. Last month, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that 6 million people out of China's approximately 1 billion online population had already registered for this service, which is voluntary. Since last year, hundreds of apps have introduced the service on a trial basis.

This system was initiated last year following a proposal by a police official. Jia Xiaoliang, deputy director of the Cyber Police in northeastern China and a delegate to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's legislative body, first proposed the system at the NPC's annual meeting in March last year. However, experts point out that the system could be used to strengthen the Chinese government's online controls. Xiao Qiang, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies internet freedom, criticized the system as "a state-led integrated identity system that can monitor and block users in real time." He added, "Because authorities can directly delete posts they dislike on the internet, this is not just a surveillance tool but the infrastructure for digital totalitarianism."

There are also concerns that collecting personal information at the central government level could actually increase the risk of data leaks. Sun Haochen, a professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, warned, "A centralized, nationwide platform inherently creates a single point of vulnerability, making it an attractive target for hackers or hostile foreign actors."

CNN assessed that, with the introduction of the internet ID system in China?where the world's most advanced online censorship and surveillance system is already in place?Chinese citizens now face even stricter controls. Since Xi Jinping took power in 2012, China has strengthened its control over the digital space by operating specialized censorship organizations that delete posts, suspend accounts, and block the spread of dissenting opinions around the clock.

China is also moving to crack down on online content that could harm the physical and mental health of minors.

The Cyberspace Administration of China announced the previous day that, together with relevant ministries, it is publicly seeking opinions on the "Classification Methods for Internet Information That May Affect the Physical and Mental Health of Minors." The online content to be regulated includes not only illegal information harmful to minors' physical and mental health, but also information that could lead minors to imitate unsafe behaviors or engage in actions contrary to public morality. Specifically, this includes information with sexual innuendo or provocation that could easily evoke sexual associations, harmful content related to cyberbullying such as ridicule and disparagement, content inciting discrimination against people, and content promoting regional discrimination. Internet service providers are prohibited from displaying harmful content to minors in prominent locations such as main screens, notification windows, real-time search terms, rankings, or recommendations.