China tightens internet control with new virtual ID for login, says it is voluntary and will reduce data leaks
China is rolling a new national internet ID system to verify users on platforms. The country’s officials have reportedly stated that it is voluntary and safe, but many warns that it can deepen the state monitoring and control. Read to know everything about the new virtual ID.
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In short
- The new ID aims to unite the login process on the online platform
- Officials say the system is voluntary and protects personal information
- Many are afraid of deep monitoring, censorship and centralized data risks
China is preparing to launch a new state-zari virtual ID system, which will allow people in the country to log in with a single, government approved credential in websites and social media apps. However, the system has expressed fresh concern about monitoring and online independence. according to a CNN The report, the new National Internet ID system will be introduced in mid -July, and while it is currently voluntary, there are many fear that it may be difficult to eventually get out. The Chinese government says that this scheme is to protect the identity of citizens and support the healthy and systematic development of the digital economy.
Under the new system, users will not need to repeatedly submit individual data on separate platforms. Instead, there will be an internet ID, which will be created and released by the state, and it will allow users to sign in in many websites and services. Already, more than six million people have signed up, Xinhua last month described more than one billion internet users in a country.
Officials claim that the ID will act as a “bullet-proof vest for personal information”, arguing that it reduces the risk of data leaks by centralizing verification. However, according to CNN Report, many people in the country argue that it makes an accurate contrast.
The launch of virtual ID and its security concerns come in view of a global cyber security violation, which came out last week, where more than 16 billion passwords were leaked online. Reports said that most of these credentials were fresh and stolen, stolen using malware, stating how dangerous dangerous centralized data systems could be.
The scheme follows a specific pattern in China’s Internet Regulation Playbook. The proposal was first introduced by a police officer in March 2024, and then opened for public response. Despite criticism of legal scholars, and consultation during consultation, the final rules issued in May remained largely unchanged.
Although officials say that users can choose what to participate, the state is urging various industries and online platforms to integrate them with the system. Hundreds of apps are allegedly trialing it already, even before the rules are officially effective.
Meanwhile, the alarm bell about government monitoring as China’s state-supported internet ID system increases, Sam Altman’s eye scanning orb, which is being used to generate world ID, has inspired similar concerns about biometric tracking, although from a private company. The Altman’s WorldCoin project, which provides a unique digital ID to people after scanning their IRIS with a silver, circular device, called or called orb, claims to verify a person’s “humanity” without collecting or storing personal data.
The idea is that someone should be presented a way to prove that he is not an AI bot without disclosing his identity. But as the orb expands globally, including the recent launch in the UK and the United States, people are rapidly questioning whether such biometric verification equipment is just another step towards the future of generalized monitoring, especially when deployed on a scale.
Equalities of China’s virtual ID system are difficult to ignore. In both cases, a single digital credential aims to simplify verification on many platforms, facilitates centralizing sensitive data – iris scan in terms of worldcon, and identification description in China. Supporters of both systems say they improve security and reduce fraud. But experts warned that business is secrecy.
In China, the government may monitor and restrict disagreeable voices in real time. With world ID, even though the data is decentralized and encrypted, the growing network of orbes creates the possibility of creating a global biometric database, especially in the absence of independent inspection. Since AI and bots become difficult to distinguish from real users, and large-scale data violations have highlighted billions of records, equipment such as Orb and China represents a new frontier-where verification of online identity can come at the price of autonomy and oblivion.
