China censors online criticism of digital ID plan

China’s plan to introduce a national digital identity system is stirring an online backlash with censors deleting social media comments critical of the initiative.

The proposed digital ID aims to replace login and verification services from private technology companies, curbing excessive data collection by commercial entities and allowing online users to maintain privacy by storing information in a government database. Critics of the proposal, however, fear that the optional digital ID will eventually become mandatory and used to increase government control and surveillance.

The most high-profile victim of online censorship is prominent law professor Lao Dongyan from Tsinghua University in Beijing, a known critic of the country’s widespread use of facial recognition.

Last week, Lao posted a long criticism of the digital ID on Chinese social media site Weibo, comparing the system with the country’s health apps used to restrict movement during the Covid-19 pandemic. The legal expert argued that the digital ID could be used to monitor online activities and turn online access into “a privilege that requires permission to enjoy” – Chinese authorities have been known to make ostensibly voluntary government apps into mandatory ones.

After attacks from government-aligned social media communities, Lao’s post was removed while her Weibo account with 800,000 followers was muted for 90 days, according to the South China Morning Post.

Censors have been busy deleting other viral social media posts against the digital ID system as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enters a politically sensitive time.

Chinese top political leaders are convening at the Beidaihe meeting, a secretive summer summit held in the coastal resort town of Beidahe in early August each year. The government has previously faced backlash over the draconian restrictions on movement enforced by mandatory Covid-19 health code apps. The public furor resulted in a series of protests in 2022, a rare example in a state that strictly controls political unrest.

Despite rising opposition, Beijing is unlikely to give up its goal of introducing the digital ID, according to an analysis by the Nikkei Asia Review.

The Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration of China issued the draft regulation on July 26 and announced they would solicit public comments for one month. Trials of the national digital ID system began just days after the proposal’s release.

Under a pilot scheme, users need to submit their national IDs and go through facial recognition verification. No decision has been made on when the digital IDs will be issued.

Many of the online services in China, including social media, already require real-name registration for users.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  China  |  cybersecurity  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  face biometrics  |  identity verification