[ NNSquad ] Real-Name Registration Threatens the Lively World of China's Microblogs

[Lauren Weinstein <lauren@vortex.com>]

Real-Name Registration Threatens the Lively World of China's Microblogs

http://j.mp/zOfthe  (Wired)
   
   "And all this may change in the face of a new, more stringent policy
    designed to clamp down on free expression where other methods have
    been less successful. In a move to exert greater control on citizen
    speech online, the government is requiring that Sina Weibo and China's
    other microblogs register the real names and identification cards of
    users in several cities. Those who do not register this week in many
    major cities like Beijing will not be allowed to share or forward
    posts; after a period of testing, the policy will go into effect
    nationwide."

 - - -

Keep in mind that this article isn't describing a system where users
are required to use names that merely look "real," this is a
requirement tying usage to actual government IDs. A whole different
kettle of fish.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren 
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org 
Founder:
 - Data Wisdom Explorers League: http://www.dwel.org
 - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org 
 - Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
 - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com 
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://vortex.com/g+lauren / Twitter: http://vortex.com/t-lauren 
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
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