Timeline of real name registration in China

April, 2000

A national regulation is issued requiring real-name registration for new applicants of individual savings accounts.

July, 2002

China issues regulations on real-name registration for securities accounts.

November, 2002

A new regulation stipulates that Internet bars can only serve those holding a valid ID card.

May, 2003

Leading hospitals in Beijing start requiring patients to show their ID card when registering for treatment.

January, 2010

Real-name registration becomes a must for purchasers of tickets in some major railway stations in order to fight scalpers.

August, 2010

Interim Measures for Online Games is introduced to protect adolescents from taking part in online games through real-name registration.

September, 2011

Alibaba Group, China's leading online B2B service provider, starts requiring real-name registration for users in an effort to build its website into an honest and fair trading platform.

February, 2012

YTO Express, one of China's leading delivery service providers, starts requiring ID cards for customers after two employees are injured by a parcel bomb sent by a former employee seeking revenge after being sacked.

November, 2012

Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter which has more than 500 million users, starts requiring real-name registration for new users in order to clean up the online environment and rein in rumor mongers.

September, 2013

A regulation is introduced requiring real-name registration for new users of mobile and landline phones in China in an effort to fight phone scams.

August, 2014

Users of instant messaging services, including WeChat, are required to provide real-name details when registering.