China moves towards "real name system" for blogs

Reuters ^ | 23 Oct 2006 | Reuters

[FLOutdoorsman]

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Internet Society of China has recommended to the government that bloggers be required to use their real names when they register blogs, state media said on Monday, in the latest attempt to regulate free-wheeling Web content.

The society, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Information Industry, said no decision had been made but that a 'real name system' was inevitable.

"A real name system will be an unavoidable choice if China wants to standardise and develop its blog industry," the official Xinhua news agency quoted the Internet Society's secretary general, Huang Chengqing, as saying.

"We suggest, in a recent report submitted to the ministry, that a real name system be implemented in China's blog industry," Huang said.

China has already imposed some controls on Internet chatter about politically sensitive subjects, which often goes far beyond what is permissible in the country's traditional state-run media.

Last year, the Ministry of Information Industry issued regulations on Internet news content that analysts said was aimed at extending rules governing licensed news outlets to blogs and Internet-only news sites.

Participation in university on-line discussion groups has also been restricted to students.

Bloggers anonymously disseminating untrue information on the Internet brought about a negative influence on society, the Xinhua report said.

Under the proposed rule, users would be required to register under their real name to open a blog but would still be allowed to write under a pseudonym.

[CountryBumpkin]

Ah! So sowy! Musta yuze weal name!

[Man50D]

I hope this doesn't give Pelosi, Reid and the rest of the socialist democrats any ideas.

[CountryBumpkin]

Consider it the other way around. The Rats might very well suggest something like this to China to help build loony-left momentum for it in the USA.

[Man50D]

Consider it the other way around. The Rats might very well suggest something like this to China to help build loony-left momentum for it in the USA.

They might also proclaim in the interest of national security it's essential we know everybody's real names to prevent terrorists from communicating in secret code with each other!

[quantim]

China, in our lifetime is going to break into more pieces than Yugoslavia in a jigsaw puzzle.

It's too big geographically for a 'civil war,' nor can the commies hold down the populous as they experience capitalism.

North Korea is nothing in the scope of things as Chinese citizens revolt against their gubmint.

Don't think it will be bloody though, as regime changes go.  The commie leaders are too weak to sustain an onslaught from free people.

[CountryBumpkin]

Just so long as no eavesdropping on terrorist phone calls is involved. Listening in without a warrant on little Billy talking to Mom is okay, though. ;)

[Man50D]

Just so long as no eavesdropping on terrorist phone calls is involved. Listening in without a warrant on little Billy talking to Mom is okay, though. ;)

Dah comrade!

[Cymbaline]

So the government will be able to take you away in the middle of the night if they don't like what you say.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

At least a lot of Chinese names are also the names of many other people.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

The government could be overthrown, but the geographic integrity of the country is pretty secure (excepting sparsely populated lands in the west).

[CountryBumpkin]

Well, China's partner Lil' Kim does it now if he does not like how people (especially men) look. Hippies disappear. Only quaffs, bouffants, and buzzcuts need apply.

[Andy from Beaverton]

TienanmenSquareBloodBath.blogspot.com?

[sageb1]

"Under the proposed rule, users would be required to register under their real name to open a blog but would still be allowed to write under a pseudonym."

Big whoop. Will the government round up bloggers they don't like?

[WilliamofCarmichael]

The Ministry of Information Industry can count on 100 percent cooperation from YaHu! that's for sure.

[CountryBumpkin]

Big whoop. Will the government round up bloggers they don't like?

In China? Guaranteed. Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

[KDD]

Meanwhile, a little closer to home:

U.S. Justice Dept. Officials Continue Push for Increased Net-Monitoring

[diesel00]

China, in our lifetime is going to break into more pieces than Yugoslavia in a jigsaw puzzle.

This might have been true in the 1980s (had China followed the USSR disintegration), but it's increasingly unlikely now. Why? Massive transportation linkages between the various regions of China. Just ten years ago, it took half a day to travel to another city just 30 miles away. Now it takes 50 minutes by train, bus or car. The Chinese in 1980s were very isolated with each other, essentially each city was a city-state not unlike the Italian city-states of the Middle Ages. China today has the second longest total length of expressways after the United States, and the country is thus becoming increasingly "smaller." Another thing is that China used to be separated by its dozens of mutually unintelligible "dialects" (separate languages by any linguistic measure), but the youth today are abandoning their regional dialects and practically speaking Mandarin exclusively, further solidifying their national identity.

The chances of China dissolving into something like the Balkans is low, I really wouldn't bet on it. China's Communist government might collapse in our lifetime and China might separate into North China and South China. But a complete 16-piece fragmentation isn't going to happen; if it didn't happen in the chaos of the 20th century under repeat invasion and civil war, it's not going to happen now with much greater transportational technology and national identity.

[Dr. Marten]

"Ah! So sowy! Musta yuze weal name!"

Your screen name fits you well.

[Dr. Marten]

There's already a call from the FBI to have ISP's monitor their customers activities and surveillance cameras are going up in cities across the country.