China New Internet ID System a Threat to Online Expression: Netizens will require IDs to go on the internet. For now this is voluntary, but there are signs it will not remain that way for long. (chinamediaproject.org)
from Pro@programming.dev to technology@lemmy.world on 28 Jun 22:05
https://programming.dev/post/33068115

On May 19, China’s top law enforcement agency released measures for the roll-out of “cyber IDs” (网络身份认证), a new form of user identification to monitor internet users. Although the measures were released as a draft over the summer last year, they have only just been finalized, and will come into effect in mid-July.

According to the measures, introduced by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), each internet user in China will be issued with a unique “web number,” or wanghao (网号), that is linked to their personal information. While these IDs are, according to the MPS notice, to be issued on a strictly voluntary basis through public service platforms, the government appears to have been working on this system for quite some time — and state media are strongly promoting it as a means of guaranteeing personal “information security” (信息安全). With big plans afoot for how these IDs will be deployed, one obvious question is whether these measures will remain voluntary.

#technology

threaded - newest

vhstape@lemmy.sdf.org on 28 Jun 22:15 next collapse

Fuck that noise

Pro@programming.dev on 28 Jun 22:21 collapse

What noise are you talking about?

Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world on 28 Jun 22:53 collapse

Needing an ID to go online.

anzo@programming.dev on 30 Jun 13:01 collapse

I hear thee.

Xanthobilly@lemmy.world on 28 Jun 22:56 next collapse

All governments are moving this direction as the march towards authoritarianism accelerates and it’ll take VPNs, meshnets, encryption, and other alternatives to push back.

lupusblackfur@lemmy.world on 28 Jun 23:26 next collapse

VPNs, meshnets, encryption, and other alternatives

All of which will, of course, soon become illegal and the simple use/possession/knowledge of which will verify that user as an “anti-govt” subversive worthy of deportation, incarceration, or worse.

🤷‍♂️

xep@fedia.io on 29 Jun 00:01 collapse

VPNs are already illegal in China!

atticus88th@lemmy.world on 29 Jun 04:31 collapse

Even blue states in the U.S. are going this direction.

Hoard your data folks!

Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org on 29 Jun 04:51 collapse

Even the EU is. It’s looking bleak in that department.

sqgl@sh.itjust.works on 29 Jun 05:22 collapse

In Australia it was proposed by the Labor government and it was the Greens who passed the Digital ID bill. (Labor needed either the Greens or Conservatives on board).

It was the conservatives who opposed it (similar to when Conservatives opposed the Australia Card in the 80’s).

Go figure.

Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org on 29 Jun 05:56 collapse

My best guess is that like 99% of Aussies don’t seem to give a rat’s ass about politics so as long as the parliament does things that loosely resemble working nobody’s gonna ask questions 😅

skankhunt42@lemmy.ca on 29 Jun 00:10 next collapse

If they ever use biometrics for this, mine are for sale. Cheap… I’d like to know what happens when I can’t use who I am as my ID because it’s public.

AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works on 29 Jun 02:57 next collapse

That sounds like a you problem, not a them problem, as far as they’re concerned

bobs_monkey@lemmy.zip on 29 Jun 03:31 next collapse

You’d likely get scooped up for reeducation within 12 hours of posting it.

eleitl@lemm.ee on 29 Jun 05:39 collapse

Smartcard authentication, probably. But that does not protect against other people using your computer via malware.

Live_your_lives@lemmy.world on 29 Jun 03:30 next collapse

Would there be any way around this?

REDACTED@infosec.pub on 30 Jun 18:26 collapse

If it’s on ISP level (auth) - doubt.

Phoenix3875@lemmy.world on 29 Jun 08:37 next collapse

Aktually, for most Internet services in China today, one already needs a phone number to create an account, which is linked back to the national ID. So, there isn’t any anonymity to begin with.

Bloomcole@lemmy.world on 29 Jun 08:48 next collapse

Oh no! That is exactly what the EU wants to do.
Are they trying to be as horrible as us?

paraphrand@lemmy.world on 30 Jun 15:45 collapse

China, taking cheating in online games seriously.