New Chinese government Internet identification requirements will further constrict online anonymity, Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) and ARTICLE 19 said today. The new mechanism, developed by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), goes into full effect on July 15.
Shane Yi, researcher at CHRD said:
“Internet users across China already endure heavy censorship and control by the government. The new Internet ID regulations escalate Beijing’s attack on free speech, putting human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and anyone who questions authority at even greater risk.”
This policy requires internet users to register through the National Online Identity Authentication App, developed by the MPS, using their national identification card and facial recognition. Upon registration, users receive a “web number” and “web certificate,” enabling them to access various public services and popular applications without repeatedly entering login credentials.
Real-name identity verification is already required for multiple web-based services — from social media, sim card to domain name registration — under the Cybersecurity Law enacted in 2017 and other regulations.
The 16-article Intenet ID regulation says use of the authentication application is voluntary but also encourages public services, private services, and general users to adopt it. More than 80 mobile applications began trialing the authentication system within days of the draft’s July 2024 release, including 10 public service platforms and 71 commercial applications. Major platforms such as WeChat, Xiaohongshu (RedNote), Taobao, and Zhaopin were among the early adopters.
The MPS and CAC announced on May 23, 2025 that the draft Management Regulation on National Network Identity Authentication Public Service had been approved during a meeting in February. The authentication application has been downloaded over 16 million times since July 2024. The platform has registered six million users who have activated the service, providing authentication services more than 12.5 million times.
In a joint analysis, CHRD and ARTICLE 19 determined that the regulations give the Chinese government even greater opportunities to surveil and control online speech, expand censorship, and threaten reprisals against human rights defenders. It provides no accountability to address numerous privacy concerns, risks extraterritorial applications.
With this system soon to come into full effect, CHRD and ARTICLE 19 urge the Chinese government to repeal these regulations and ensure that any restrictions on the freedom of expression conform to Beijing’s obligations under international law. The organizations also urge concerned governments to to echo this message, and to explicitly challenge Beijing’s intent to apply the regulations extraterritorially.
Michael Caster, ARTICLE 19’s Head of Global China Programme said:
“Anonymity provides for the privacy and security fundamental to exercising the freedom of opinion and expression. In further chipping away at potential online anonymity through the creation of a national internet ID, in an ecosystem where the Cybersecurity Law already mandates real-name identity verification, China is clearly seeking to intensify its efforts at silencing critical voices. And as China continues to position itself as a global digital governance standard-setter and cyber superpower, the risk is furthermore that we see such repressive policies gain traction beyond China’s borders,”
For more information
Shane Yi, Researcher, China Human Rights Defenders, [email protected]
Michael Caster, Head of Global China Programme, [email protected]