Has China Killed Online Anonymity?

China's social media platforms have asked anonymous influencer accounts with more than 500,000 followers to display their real names.

The move on November 1 to remove anonymity was simultaneously announced by the microblogging platform Weibo and ubiquitous messaging platform WeChat. Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and video-sharing website Bilibili were among others to introduce the regulation.

Social networking apps operating within China's highly regulated online environment were already subject to frequent—and at times arbitrary—censorship by the country's cyber monitors. A tendency to self-censor also meant posts and discussions remained within the Chinese government's acceptable narrative frameworks.

The latest move will affect so-called "Big V" (verified) users, many of whom have run into trouble with Beijing's authorities.

In 2016, the social media account run by former real estate tycoon Ren Zhiqiang was shut down after he criticized Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Ren was eventually sentenced to 18 years in jail in 2020 on bribery charges.

This month's move to remove anonymity has raised concerns among users with less than half a million followers, some of whom fear they could be targeted next. Weibo CEO Wang Gaofei tried to address the concerns by assuring users that the policy would not be expanded to those below the 500,000-follower count.

Last year, however, Weibo began displaying IP locations on individual user profiles to discourage "bad behavior."

The latest move has significant implications as authorities continue to tighten control and censor public opinion that doesn't conform to the government's political line. Beijing has grown increasingly concerned about the sway of individuals with large followings on social media.

The announcement has also started a debate among Chinese social media users over potential doxxing, publicly identifying an individual or organization, usually via the Internet. The unwanted public release of information such as home addresses and phone numbers could become possible if anonymous influencers are forced to display their real names.

But the joint-decision by multiple outlets, who risk angering sections of the Chinese public, suggests pressure from authorities was growing.

In recent years, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has cracked down on blogs and social media platforms that carried content outside of government regulations.

Described as "self-media," the relatively anonymous space for social media handles and bloggers continues to shrink as open public debate on topics such as the state of the Chinese economy has now become taboo.

The CAC has identified anonymity as problematic, while trying to manage online public opinion.

"In the past, we often used the metaphor of 'collective voices' to describe the internet, which reflects the spontaneity, anonymity and disorder of online public opinion," the CAC wrote in 2018.

Some Chinese experts have tried to justify the move by saying influencers now had greater "social responsibilities."

"From the perspective of the legal process of cyberspace governance, showing the real name on the front page is following the trend of past legal norms," Zhu Wei, deputy director of the Communication Law Research Center of the China University of Political Science and Law, told state media outlet Red Star News.

"Individuals with greater social influence mean that they should bear more social responsibilities," Zhu said.