The Chinese Communist authorities issued a “draft for soliciting opinions” last year for the implementation of the “online license and certificate system,” which sparked strong backlash in society, and then went quiet for a while. However, on May 23, the Chinese Communist Party suddenly announced that the relevant regulations for online certificates will be implemented starting from July 15 this year. Overseas netizens believe that the CCP’s aim is simply to maintain stability and that this system is nothing short of isolationist.
According to reports from Chinese state media, on May 23, the Chinese Communist Party’s Ministry of Public Security, Cyberspace Administration, and six other departments jointly issued the “National Internet Identity Verification Public Service Management Measures,” which will take effect from July 15, 2025. The official claims that the online identity verification public service platform is based on legal identification information and presented through online numbers, online certificates, and online identity application identifiers, stating that it is used to verify identities and prevent personal information leakage, and so on.
It is reported that this online identity verification system has been online since June 27, 2023, and has already been trialed in major internet platforms as well as in industries such as government services, education exams, cultural tourism, healthcare, postal services, transportation, and more.
The Chinese authorities claim that this online identity verification public service is “voluntary” and does not affect the normal use of internet services.
On Chinese social media, there has been a general silence regarding this news, with only a few supportive voices from some netizens. On overseas platforms, this issue has sparked heated discussions, with many expressing concerns about the CCP having easier control over user privacy:
“Online licenses and certificates may offer benefits, but it seems unlikely they will benefit you. Just like the COVID-19 vaccine, given to you for free, has your lung nodule disappeared?”
“I opposed this when the Ministry of Justice was seeking opinions online, why is it still being implemented?”
“I wonder how our previous names and ID numbers were leaked…”
“In the future, using just an online number, one could find out names, addresses, ID numbers, household registrations, driver’s licenses, mobile phone numbers, bank accounts, credit histories, social security payments, medical records, social media forums, WeChat accounts, delivery services, consumption records, and more.”
“They said they were seeking opinions last year, and now it’s being implemented forcibly this year?”
“If the goal is to prevent personal information leakage, they could cancel real-name authentication, which would be both faster and more cost-effective. But choosing a new method would only make it easier to target individuals.”
“Previously, those on the blacklist couldn’t access the internet. In the future, it could be a whitelist allowing only those with approval to go online.”
“It reminds me of a movie, ‘Schindler’s List.'”
“At present, online number verification requires downloading a mobile app. It is foreseeable that this app will likely replace the difficult-to-promote anti-fraud app for the general public.”
“The real purpose is for stability. Those who defend their rights or speak out recklessly on the internet can be easily tracked using the online license, just like a car license plate. This way, there won’t be a need for so many internet police or paid commenters.”
“Isolating the country.”
Some netizens also commented, “This is bound to be another unfinished project,” and “This will benefit foreign websites, as those previously banned will now turn to overseas platforms.”
On July 26, 2024, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration of China issued a draft for public opinions on online identity verification, with the deadline for opinions to be submitted by August 25th. However, the online identity verification app had already appeared on several app stores, with the original version found to have been uploaded in June 2023, raising suspicions that the so-called “solicitation of opinions” was merely a formality.
At that time, Chinese netizens heavily criticized the authorities’ new move but were suppressed. Huang Yusheng, a professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, criticized the system as overly monitoring its citizens, opposite to the modernization of the country. His post was deleted, and his Weibo account was permanently banned. Law Dongyan, a law professor at Tsinghua University, suggested on Weibo that the authorities’ true goal was to control people’s behavior online, expanding investigative measures previously targeted towards suspected criminals to apply to all ordinary individuals. Her article was promptly removed.
Some lawyers believe that the new regulations on online licenses and numbers are illegal, not only blatantly violating international human rights conventions like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Economic Rights but also contravening China’s constitution, abusing and infringing on citizens’ personal privacy, communication, and freedom of speech.
Silicon Valley-based Chinese communication network engineer Zhong Shan, in an interview with Dajiyuan, stated that the technical path for the CCP’s online certification is linked to the management of pandemic control codes, reviving boundaries and restrictions.