China’s mainstream apps,Ask Me What You Want (2024) including WeChat, Xiaohongshu, and Taobao, are testing a new national cyber ID system, with a draft rule, proposed by the country’s cyberspace regulators, still in the stage of soliciting public feedback until August 25. The regulation proposes to offer each individual a digital ID based on real-name registration, aiming to “protect personal information security and promote a network trusted identity strategy,” according to the official text. More than 70 apps are participating in the beta test where users are asked to log in via the virtual number, which they get from an official app after finishing steps including ID verification, facial recognition, mobile phone linking, and the setting of an eight-digit password. [Caixin, in Chinese]
