china-flagWe have recently learned how China’s Internet population has soared to a whopping 649 million – where 86% of those could have been derived from smartphone and tablet users. Having said that, with so many people online, it goes without saying that there would be a fair percentage of these that visit websites, and in doing so, being given the opportunity to leave a comment. Well, it seems that China’s Internet regulators have announced some seismic rule changes, where anyone who would want to post a comment online will first need to register using their real name. This is clearly another step in tightening the screw over online freedom of expression.

These new regulations are tipped to come into effect from March 1st onward, where folks have to register accounts using their real name whenever one drops a comment on a blog, online forum, or other equivalent platforms – and these will include instant messaging services or news comment sections, according to the Cyberspace Administration of China.

Well, to a certain extent, one can say that this will help the government monitor who are the potential troublemakers online who stir up racial issues and other talk that might cause division in the country, but this is a case of one bad apple spoiling the entire barrel. Bummer then – do you think that the result of this enforcement will see the number of comments drop?

Filed in Computers. Read more about . Source: latimes

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