Good or Bad? China’s National Cyberspace ID Initiative

Last week, the Chinese government proposed a cyberspace ID that in theory would protect personal information and safeguard data security.

The draft National Network Identity Authentication Public Service Management Measures (yup, it’s a mouthful) is a 16-article initiative that proposes two forms of digital ID, which would be available through a national authentication app and would enable people to verify their identities online without disclosing personal information such as their name, birthday or email. 

The proposed voluntary unified network number would be an ID composed of a mixture of letters and numbers and a digital authentication credential that would both correspond to a user’s identity.

However, the initiative has also raised concerns amongst legal experts regarding the potential for increased monitoring and social control; they have warned that it could tighten the surveillance of people’s online activity and allow the centralized system to more comprehensively track an individual’s online footprint.

Not only could retailers more easily target consumers, but the connection to someone’s official identity could make them more nervous to engage in open discussions online.

For now, however, the initiative is still open for discussion, and the public will be able to comment on it until August 25.

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[Images via Ai]