China to push for 'comprehensive' real identities online

BEIJING - Chinese people's activities online will be subject to reinforced scrutiny as authorities expand the real-name registration system across more social networks and websites.

China's Cyberspace Administration (CCA) will "comprehensively" promote the management of real identities online, with social networks -- including microblogging platforms, forums and instant messaging services -- all having to enforce a real-name registration system, CAA official Xu Feng said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Real names will only be seen by backend administrators and users may still choose a screen name.

Chinese Internet authorities have been pressing for a real identity system since 2011, and new users of WeChat and other instant messaging apps have, since August, been required to provide their real names.

Xu was quoted as saying in a China News Service report that his administration checked instant messaging services at the end of last year, and found more than 80 percent of the WeChat users had already registered with their genuine identities.

China has more than 275 million users on microblogs with Sina Weibo leading the pack, and 459 million users of mobile instant messaging apps, led by WeChat.

The CCA also announced on Tuesday that over the last two months it had shut down 17 public WeChat accounts that masqueraded as government organs or media, and 33 websites involved in the circulation of pornography.