Internet Management: On Stage, and Backstage

Remark: the following news article refers to weibo (微博), or weiboke (微博客). This doesn’t necessarily confine the set of rules in question to Sina.com‘s Weibo, but to all kinds of microblogs, as Weibo simply means “microblog”, and any microblog platform other than Sina.com’s Weibo would be a “weibo” in Chinese, too. Besides, it seems unlikely that a set of legislation or rules would single out just one provider. I’ll therefore translate weibo as microblogs in the following paragraphs — JR

[Update, Dec 16: while these rules seem to apply only for the Beijing metropolitan area, a BBC report suggests that they will affect all providers registered in Beijing – this would include Sina and Sohu. One could argue that this effectively turns the “Beijing city government’s regulations” into national regulations.]

China National Radio (CNR) Net, Beijing, December 16, 2011 – Beijing city government has announced the implementation of “Beijing City Microblog Development Management and other regulations”, saying that any organization or individual who registers an account with microblogs must provide information about his or her real identity, and websites that run microblogs must ensure that this information is true. The regulations also require that no accounts with false identity information are created, and that no “fans” must be traded.

中广网北京12月16日消息 北京市16日公布实施《北京市微博客发展管理若干规定》，提出任何组织或者个人注册微博客账号，应当使用真实身份信息；网站开展微博客服务，应当保证注册用户信息真实。规定还要求不得制造虚假的微博客用户，即不得买卖“粉丝”。

The regulations also demand that any organization or individual who registers a microblog account, writes, reproduces, publishes or disseminates information must use real ID information, and must not do so by a false identity, or an identity of someone else, and that companies and organizations must register with a code number.

《规定》要求，任何组织或者个人注册微博客账号，制作、复制、发布、传播信息内容的，应当使用真实身份信息，不得以虚假、冒用的居民身份信息、企业注册信息、组织机构代码信息进行注册。

A spokesperson for Beijing’s internet administration department said that the real identity information has to be given to the website running a microblog, while the username could be chosen freely. More folksy-put, there would be “a real name backstage, and a freely-chosen name on stage”.

北京市互联网信息内容主管部门新闻发言人就此表示，微博客账号注册信息真实是指用户提交网站注册的信息，用户使用微博客服务的名称可自愿选择。通俗地讲，就是“后台实名、前台自愿”。

The regulations point out that by adhering to the principles of active use, scientific development, legal administration, maintenance of security, the building and use of micro blogs, providers should play a positive role in society.

《规定》中明确提出，要坚持积极利用、科学发展、依法管理、确保安全的原则，加强微博客的建设、运用，发挥微博客服务社会的积极作用。

From a practical perspective, websites which operated micro blogs and users alike were called upon to disseminate information orderly, and to protect their legal interests. The public in general called for an honest network system, and the websites and micro bloggers should therefore communicate true, accurate information, and should not communicate false and harmful information.

从实际情况看，开展微博客服务的网站和微博客用户呼吁规范网络传播秩序，保障其合法权益；社会公众也普遍呼吁要建立网络诚信体系，网站和微博客用户应当提供真实、准确的信息，不得提供虚假、有害信息。

The regulations stipulate that “in this city [i. e. Beijing], website operators and micro blog providers must go through the relevant business license approval procedures, and apply to the city government internet content administration departments, in accordance with the law, for auditing and approval”.

《规定》指出，“本市行政区域内网站开展微博客服务，应当在申请电信业务经营许可或者履行非经营性互联网信息服务备案手续前，依法向市互联网信息内容主管部门提出申请，并经审核同意”。

In a somewhat more detailed article^*), the city government’s regulations are quoted as requiring already existing operators and providers to get the formalities of application and approval done within three months, as there had been “some” cases where operators and micro bloggers hadn’t performed their duties in accordance with the laws and regulations, and to implement the regulations with the users.

(针对当前有些网站和微博客用户未按照国家有关规定履行义务的问题，《规定》提出，在本规定公布前已开展微博客服务的网站，应当自本规定公布之日起三个月内依照本规定向市互联网信息内容主管部门申办有关手续，并对现有用户进行规范。)

I seem to remember several previous attempts by either national or local governments to make the Chinese internet more “transparent”. If this local test in Beijing’s metropolitan area proves to be more successful, and if it is going to be spread to the rest of the country, remains to be seen. It would obviously make the CCP’s supervision much easier, and it would also be in line with the “social management” concept,

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Note

^*) originally published by chinanews.com‘s IT website, republished by CNR.

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Related

» Online Guidance of Public Opinion, Nov 28, 2011
» BoZhu Interview: A Common Virtual Space, October 23, 2011
» Learn from Japan: a Normal Internet, April 23, 2011
» The Center Forever, March 13, 2011

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Tags: accountability, blogging, censorship, China, communication, Communist Party of China, government, human rights, media