China’s Slow March Toward Cyber IDs
“The system works by establishing the MPS as a central intermediary between users and online platforms. Citizens upload their personal information to the government app in exchange for a ‘web number’ (网号) or ‘web certificate’ (网证) — essentially a string of digits that serves as their digital identity. When accessing participating platforms, users present this government-issued credential rather than their raw personal data. The arrangement means private internet companies no longer directly collect users’ personal information, instead relying on government verification to grant access.”
“Beyond the key question of personal data security, there is the risk that the cyber ID system could work as an internet kill switch on each and every citizen. It might grant the central government the power to bar citizens from accessing the internet, simply by blocking their cyber ID. ‘The real purpose is to control people’s behavior on the Internet,’ [Tsinghua University law professor] Lao Dongyan cautioned last year.”
Source: China Media Project