China’s new cybersecurity law requires companies to verify a user’s identity, effectively making it illegal to go online anonymously. (AFP).
BEIJING — China on Monday passed a controversial cybersecurity bill further tightening restrictions on online freedom of speech, raising concerns that it could intensify already wide-ranging Internet censorship.
The ruling Communist Party oversees a vast censorship system – dubbed the Great Firewall – that aggressively blocks sites or snuffs out Internet content and commentary on topics considered sensitive, such as Beijing’s human rights record and criticism of the government.
The law, which was approved by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, bans Internet users from publishing a wide variety of information, including anything that damages “national honor,” “disturbs economic or social order” or is aimed at “overthrowing the socialist system.”
The law requires companies to verify a user’s identity, effectively making it illegal to go online anonymously.
It also includes provisions for protecting the country’s networks and private user information.
Early drafts of the legislation drew a wave of criticism from rights groups and businesses, which objected to its vague language.