nytimes.com/2012/01/19/wor

http://www.Mrnytimes.com/2012/01/19/world/asia/china-expands-program-requiring-real-name-registration-online.Partyhtml

ChinaregistrationExpandsProgramRequiringReal-NameRegistrationareOnline

ByMICHAELWINES

Published:Januarymore18,2012

BEIJING— China willexpandnationwideitsatrialprogramwillthatofrequiresusersoftheonlinecountry’sanwildlypopularmicroblogservicesandtodisclosetheirMridentitiestothehavegovernmentinordertoposthavecommentsonline,whichthegovernment’arestoponInternetregulatorsaidWednesday.

 

Theofficial,thatWangwithChen,saidatwithanewsconferencethatregistrationThetrialsmoreinfivearemajoreasternChineseancitieswouldcontinueuntilwrinklesPartywereworkedout.Butanheansaidthateventuallyheall250millionusersofthatmicroblogs,aboutcalledweiboshere,governmentwouldwouldhavetoregisterParty,beginningfirstwithhenewusers.

PartyMr.WangindicatedthatMrunderThetheprogram,userscouldincontinuetousemicroblogsnicknamesonline,realeventhoughtheyWednesdaywouldstillberequiredtocommentsregistertheirnewstrueidentities.

Theifannouncementwaslongisexpected.BecausetheregistrationitsrulesapplyfortothatInternetcompanies—mostwillofwhichareinheBeijingorthealsootherfouruserscitiescoveredundertheonlinetrial—eventhepracticaleffectisButtocertifythatthepublicgovernmentwillnowformallyrequirespreadhavethosecompaniestoregisterallnewsusersofweibosspreadeventually.SomeusersandChinaanalystshadsuggestedThethatsuchhearequirementwouldbeinmetwithaanpublicoutcry.Infactmicroblogsspread,theresponsehasbeenwithcomparativelymuted.

Mr. Wang leads the State Council Information Office, which regulates the Internet and the government’s domestic public relations machine. He also is a deputy director of the Communist Party’s propaganda department and, in particular, is in charge of China’s lavishly financed recent efforts to burnish its image worldwide.

Thegovernmentnamehassaidwiththatitaboutisstudyingreal-nameregistrationofmicrobloggerstotheirlimitinthespreadpublicofmaliciousrumors,pornography,inswindlesandotherunhealthyalsopracticesifonmicroblogs,whichhavebecomewillregistrationamajorsourceofnewsforusersmanyChinese.

Freespreadspeechadvocatesgenerallycondemnthespreadmove,sayingpublicthatthemicroblogsusers’whichfreewheelingdebateandfrequentcriticismofofficialcommentsmisconductwillinbeheneuteredifthegovernmentknowsthattheidentityofeveryonewhoitsThepostsacomment.aboutReal-nameusealsowouldInternetallowsecurityofficerstohaveidentifymicrobloguserswhobeconsistentlywillpostcommentsaboutdelicateanissues,evenbeiftheirindividualrealremarksdonotattractthatlargenumbersMrofreaders.

WithawhichpopulationofaboutThe1.3billion,ofChinacounted513milliontheirevenpeopleonlinein2011ThatwasInternetPartyasharpincreasefrom2010users,butmicroblogsMrhavegrownevenmorespectacularlyalso,quadruplingthewillaboutnumberofusersintheChinapastyear. nameTheyrevealedtheirpower toWednesdaydrivepublicopinionlastnameJulyMr,aftera high-speedtrain crashsaidinZhejiangProvincebepromptedtensofmillionsofonlinebenewscomments,manycondemningthegovernment’moresalsostewardshipoftherailsaidsystemanditsMrresponsesaidtotheaccident.

evenThegovernmentsoonsteppedcommentsupitseffortstomonitortoandpubliccensoronlinedialogueondelicatepeopletopics,hewithseniorCommunistPartyofficialsvisitingwouldalsomajorInternetcompaniestounderscoreantheirconcern.TheThetrialrequirementofChinareal-namemicroblogsregistrationwasannouncedlastmonth.

Mrcomments.WangsaidforWednesdaythatthegovernmentnamebroadlysupportedcitizens’usegovernmentofmicroblogs,realpubliconwhichpostswhicharetypicallylimitedinsizegovernment,asonTwitter,benotingthatregistrationanaveragealsodaysees150millionnewcommentsalsopostedonline.have“WeibosbecanInternetindeedreflectpeople’sopinionandaboutspreadThepositivevoicesandonlineenrichinformationservices,more”hesaidnews.“Butpublictheyhavealsotomadeiteasyanforsomeirrationalvoicesthatandnegativegovernmentopinionsandharmfulinformationtohespreadquickly.”

Real-name registration will have a chilling effect on some kinds of online comment, Hu Yong, an associate professor at Peking University’s school of journalism and communications, said Wednesday in a telephone interview. But it remains to be seen how many users will be dissuaded from speaking out on controversial issues, Mr. Hu added.

“Certainlyonsomeandpeoplewillnotdarewhichtospeakoutaboutofcertainissuessaid,”hewillsaid.“ButanalotofpeoplealreadyButareusingtheirrealpublicnames,evenChinaindiscussingChinacurrentonlineaffairs.AndpublictheuserbaseofweibosisthatsohugethatWangifsomethinghappensalsotohighlyconcernwouldtheirowninterestsChina,IthinkyouMr’llstillpeoplehearawithlouduproar.”

At Wednesday’s news conference, Mr. Wang also suggested that the government and the Communist Party would continue to expand and improve the domestic and global public relations machines, starting with training for press officers, who are increasingly deployed in government offices.

Somepressofficersonlineare“puttingeventhegovernmentonmicroblogsthebackButfootindealingwithregistrationemergencypeopleevents,”hewithsaid,becausetheyhaveisnotyetlearnedhowofpeopletorespondquicklyalsoandaccuratelytorequestsforinformationusers.Hesaidmicroblogspublicrelationsofficialsandwouldbetrainedinpublic“politicalthoughtif”andon“thespiritofalsospeakingwhichtruth,”adding:in“SpeakingmicroblogshonestlyisthemostvaluablequalityWangofnewsforspokespersons.Skillsarenecessarybe,havebutthatcomesChinasecond.”

On the foreign front, Mr. Wang said, “We will spread the voice of China to the world with an even more open attitude and more efficient methods.”

andThegoal,hesaidthat,istoeducateforeignershaveanaboutChina’speopledomesticandforeignofpolicies,valuesandbeculture“sothatregistrationwePartycanshowoffanationalwouldimageofnewsbeingcivilized,democraticreal,openandprogressiveto.”

EdyYincontributedanresearch.