Anonymous Accounts Banned, China Cleans Up Social Media Tech – 10 hours ago

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – China begins trialling real-name obligations on social media. This obligation applies to netizens who wish to comment on politics and the financial industry on various online platforms.

The plan to implement real name obligations on social media was leaked by Weibo CEO Wang Gaofel. Weibo is a Chinese social media that is similar to Twitter. China blocks social media owned by foreign companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

He stated that the Chinese government would soon prohibit anonymous accounts from commenting on political and financial matters. All social media account owners who want to become influencers must include their real names.

Several influencer accounts on Weibo have stated in recent days that this real name rule applies to accounts with 1 million followers or more, which provide comments on politics, the world of entertainment and the financial industry.

Influencers on Weibo do not reveal who requires them to use their real names. China’s cyber regulator also provided no comment when confirmed by Reuters.

Weibo users were excited last week when Wang’s real name appeared in his account biography. He then answered a barrage of questions about changes to his account.

“People who have followed my account for a long time know that I am always the first to try new features,” Wang said.

Wang’s account on Weibo is followed by 957,000 accounts. He explained that the mandatory use of real names policy might apply not only to accounts with 1 million or more followers, but also to accounts followed by 500,000 accounts.

China is indeed cleaning up social media. Although China’s mass media is strictly regulated by the government, in recent years a media group has emerged called “zimeiti”. This media is a group of independent, influential bloggers or influencers who focus on certain sectors with a large number of followers.

China’s cyberspace authorities are trying to control these influencers. Many social media accounts have been closed. Social media platforms that do not take action are also threatened with fines.

[Gambas:Video CNBC]

(dem/dem)