China regulates re-registration of banned accounts on the Internet

China's Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) is renewing regulations on how Internet users of Chinese online platforms identify themselves, as part of the authorities' efforts to tighten the grip on the Internet, banning users of previously banned accounts to register again. 

On 26 October, CAC published the draft of the updated rules. According to the outline, Internet platform operators need to adopt "necessary measures" to prevent banned accounts previously closed for violating laws and regulations to re-register again. A report from the South China Morning Post said owners of banned accounts in China usually registered new accounts either on the same platform or another by using names that are identical to the previous name they used on internet platforms.

The draft proposal added that operators should prohibit the holders of censored accounts from registering on another platform. Meanwhile, Internet platform operators are required to show domestic Internet users' location, indicating which province or city that they are in. For overseas users, operators must show the country that they are located in. It also proposed that users cannot illegally trade the names of internet accounts. 

Moreover, when an Internet user changes its account name information, operators should validate the proposed account name. If the user violates the regulations, including using a name similar to government institutions, businesses and people's organisations, operators need to stop offering services to the user. 

The draft is soliciting public feedback until 10 November.

The Chinese government has been regulating activities on the Internet. Both domestic and foreign Internet companies are working on solutions to operate in China. Earlier this month, LinkedIn said it will be shutting its localised service in China. The Microsoft-owned platform said in a blog post that the decision came as it faces "a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China". "While we’ve found success in helping Chinese members find jobs and economic opportunity, we have not found that same level of success in the more social aspects of sharing and staying informed," it said.

Moving forward, Linkedin plans to launch InJobs later this year, a new, standalone jobs app focused on helping China-based professionals find jobs in China and Chinese companies to find quality candidates. InJobs will not include a social feed or the ability to share posts or articles. Meanwhile, the company said it will also continue to work with Chinese businesses to help them create economic opportunities.

In June, the CAC said in a statement that it is pursuing a two-month campaign to discipline online fan clubs, aiming at putting an end to the problems arising from these platforms. The CAC will crack down on a number of activities, such as inducing minors to contribute money to their idols, conducting online abuse or doxxing, stopping activities that encourage fans to flaunt their wealth, manipulating comments on social media, making up topics online to hijack public opinion, as well as using bots to increase traffic data related to their idols.

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