XINHUA (China), VOICE OF AMERICA (USA), REUTERS
BEIJING – Chinese legislature has passed a law that includes mandatory real-name registration for Internet users, Xinhua reported on Friday.
The new rules were announced by the official Xinhua news agency on Twitter:
Rules approved Friday in China to enhance protection of personal info online and safeguard public interests twitter.com/XHNews/status/…
— Xinhua News Agency (@XHNews) Décembre 28, 2012
Chinese authorities and Internet companies like Sina Corp have been working together to censor and monitor what people say online. But the government has now put measures such as deleting posts into law, reports Reuters.
“The law should escort the development of the internet to protect people’s interest,” Communist Party mouthpiece the People’s Daily said in a front page commentary, reports Voice of America. “Only that way can our Internet be healthier, more cultured and safer.”
The Chinese government says that tighter monitoring of the Internet is required to prevent people making malicious and anonymous accusations online, disseminating pornography and spreading panic with unfounded rumors, reports Reuters.
These new restrictions follow a series of corruption scandals amongst lower-level officials exposed by Internet users.
Earlier this year, the government began forcing users of Sina Corp’s popular Weibo microblogging platform to register their real names.
Popular foreign sites Facebook, Twitter and Google-owned YouTube are blocked in China.
